Relax Your Eyes With the 20-20-20 rule

Do you work at the computer for long hours? Learn about software that can help you reduce eye-strain, RSI and other computer related stress!

If you spend a good part of your day using the computer, the 20-20-20 rule, that I recently learned recently from my doctor, might also help you relax your tired eyes.

The rule goes something like this.

The screen is bright and therefore, if you don’t blink your eyes as often as you should while working at the computer for long hours, you can have dry eyes sometimes even followed by redness.

To help you deal with this problem, the 20-20-20 rule suggest that after every 20 minutes,  you (the computer user)  should take a break for at least 20 seconds and look at objects that are 20 feet away from you.

Since it  is nearly impossible for any computer users to remember that they have to take a break every 20 minutes, there are free software programs that can help you in your mission.

For instance, there’s a Windows utility called Eye Defender that sits in the system tray and, after a fixed interval, it will auto-run a visual training (see video below in full screen) for the eyes on your screen.

You are supposed to follow the pointer on the screen  and this in turn should help relax your eyes.

WorkRave is another handy app that reminds you to take breaks at regular intervals to prevent computer related stress (including eyestrain).

It offers two kinds of breaks – micro-breaks, these are short and are mean to relax your eyes, and then there are rest-breaks where you are supposed to walk or stretch a little. Workrave also has a  built-in wizard that demonstrates the various types of stretching exercises that you can do during these breaks.

If you are an active computer user, these tools need to be on your desktop.