How do you deal with eye strain as a developer?

Question

I've been dealing with eye strain in my left eye lately, and it's really impacting my quality of life. I can barely get through my workday, and afterwards I have to avoid screens completely. No TV, no gaming, no reading. It's frustrating feeling so limited. Has anyone else experienced something similar? I'd love to hear what helped you.

necovek · Accepted Answer

A move to more of a management/leadership role.I've actually developed an eye condition &mdash; one of my doctors suspects it might be PDS (pigment dispersion syndrome) that affects my ability to focus on computer text for too long (I get headaches) which they found unusual, so after realizing I can't keep up, I turned to mentoring and leading instead.

Insanity · Answer

This is potentially not going to be the advise you want to hear. As I got older, I noticed eye strain more and more, up to the point that I also eliminated screen time after work for some time.
There are things that help - regular breaks, being in a well lit room, sitting at a healthy distance from the monitor, using redshift and lowering monitor brightness.
But ultimately, I came to the conclusion that for my eye health (and general physical health) I probably can’t be staring at screens for hours after work, when it’s already 8-9 hours of my workday.
Now after work I avoid screens entirely until about 9pm, then I have about an hour of gaming or watching TV, and then wind down with a book before bed.
I switched to this routine about 4-5 years ago, around when I turned 30. Seems to work well so far.

beardyw · Answer

Have you visited an optician? You don't say. Otherwise that must be step one.

edent · Answer

Your employer is legally obligated to provide you with an eye test - https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/eye-tests.htmI suggest starting with a visit to an optician and see what they say.