Let’s start with your skin. I apply a moisturizer that “helps shield blue light exposure” once or twice during a writing day. My facialist is a fan. “We are bombarded with blue light almost all day with our phones, computer tablets and TV.” The photo shows what I happen to use, Alana Mitchell Environmental Protection Cream. It’s very layerable and that’s important to me, since I am adding it to my a.m. ritual.
Moving to the eyes, I have two suggestions. Both have to do, again, with blue light. (Note I’m referring to blue light from devices, not natural blue light. Blue light in natural daylight has been shown to damage retinas in animal studies. That from your laptop is much less.)_To my knowledge there’s no reputable data that blue light from LEDs affects your vison. What it can cause is eye strain. Experts and I recommend lubricating eye drops. My ophthalmologist says, “Be aggressive with it.” He recommends either Systane (preservative free) and Refresh, preservative free. The label says to use the contents once and discard. They lie. The tiny cap goes back on and you can use each ampule for a day.
Continuing with eye care, Facebook might recommend Blue Light Glasses, but neither doctors nor the Mayo Clinic do. They’re not anti, they just say they are useless in preventing eye strain. Balance that against how cute they are and make your own decision. I wear readers so I went ahead and bought combination blue light filtering readers. Here I show Diff brand, and that’s what I use, but Amazon has plenty.
What experts do recommend is something called 20-20-20. Every twenty minutes look at something twenty feet away for twenty seconds. And, see your eye doctor on the regular to keep your prescriptions up to date, or see if it’s time for contacts or glasses.
My last suggestion is a computer stand to reduce neck and shoulder strain. Mine is no-frills but there’s a wide range available.
Do you have any suggestions to add to the list? Let us know in the comments. Now push those glasses up on your head and take a break.
Thanks for reading,
Lane
Great tips! My retina specialist recommends Refresh as well. I am fortunate that where I write is out in our front room and I’m surrounded by windows, so a quick look up and I’m looking out into the forest where there’s always stuff going on. Cats run through the room…you get the picture. My personal recommendation? Check your posture! I set a timer for 1.5/2 hours. When it goes off, I make myself get up even if it’s only to stand, stretch my arms up, reach upwards on my toes, then I can sit again. I work on a MacBook, and if I’ve been writing a long time the underside of my wrists get really sore, so I found these great wrist pads that are sized specifically for MacBook users, but can work on other laptops. They are from AQUUES SOLUTIONS; they hang on to your laptop with surface tension. And while not everyone has this available, I go to a Gentle Yoga class 2x’s a week. Stay healthy!
Yes, yoga!!
These are really useful. I also have a standing desk, and I sit and stand as needed throughout the day for work. But when I write, I actually often lie down. I have a lap desk and it helps both my back and my hips to be reclining. I’m either in a lazy-boy or stretched out on a couch! Heaven. As for eye strain, if it gets too bad, I just lower the brightness on the screen. Many people use darkmode for this reason, but darkmode for some eyes (nearsighted, astigmatism) is actually MORE strain, and I’m in that camp. Any apps that come with darkmode as default get immediately converted to light mode on my devices.
Do you like your standing desk?
I like it a lot. It’s a converter that sits on top of my regular desk. I can raise the surface or lower it depending on whether I want to sit or stand and it fits a large monitor and a laptop on top, with three levels underneath for a tablet and a keyboard. It’s been pretty useful
Maybe that’s why I like writing at the cottage so much. I’m facing windows that look out on the woods and lake–and I frequently do look out. Here in Ohio, my desk faces a wall. Nothing to look at!
Jealous about your cottage.
Very helpful, Lane. Thanks. I have a room with a desk but I actually write sitting on the couch in the living room with a jury-rigged combination of cushions to raise my computer and keep me from slouching. I’m not sure but I think I started this after we sold our house upstate and filled the office with things we kept from there. We’ve cleaned it out enough now so that I could sit at the desk. I will probably try the eye drops. And maybe it’s time to rethink my writing environment.
I keep Systane in my desk drawer and use it frequently. I find it really makes a difference. I also have my laptop up on a stand, so I am looking straight ahead and my arms and neck are on a good level. And then sometimes I stand, too. It’s amazing what we do for our passion! These are all great tips, Lane. I use moisturizer in the morning with SPF in it but on days when I’m not going out, I sometimes avoid it— but now if I’m working, I’ll make sure I use it~
Thanks for all these great tips! I was debating getting a pair of blue-light glasses, but think now I’ll pass. As for that 20-20-20 rule: I find it’s not just good for my eyes, it’s good for my brain as well.
Lane:
These are such great tips! I have to use Systane about 4x a day and yes, you can use the amulet more than once. What I do about the glare is I bought a pair of really large sunglasses that fit over my prescription glasses, so I use that. But writers (and anyone on a computer, really) should incorporate these suggestions.