
Ask HN: What do you use/do for keeping your eyes healthy - peyloride
Especially those who are against the screen all day. I need some advice.
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walterbell
Move monitor further away, set brightness to match ambient light, adjust
contrast, [http://www.clickonf5.org/hardware/adjust-brightness-
contrast...](http://www.clickonf5.org/hardware/adjust-brightness-contrast-
monitor/3846)

If you wear glasses, ask optometrist for computer prescription.

Force yourself to blink when using the computer, [https://iristech.co/blink-
detection/](https://iristech.co/blink-detection/)

Take regular breaks: set 20 min timer, look for 20 seconds at an object at
least 20 feet away, [https://lifehacker.com/5976390/use-the-20-20-20-rule-to-
figh...](https://lifehacker.com/5976390/use-the-20-20-20-rule-to-fight-the-
effects-of-sitting-all-day-long)

Avoid flourescent lighting.

Avoid extended sitting: [https://glarminy.com/2016/11/29/sedentary-lifestyle-
cause-in...](https://glarminy.com/2016/11/29/sedentary-lifestyle-cause-
insomnia-tired-eyes-photophobia/)

Install flux or redshift on computer to reduce blue light after sunset.

~~~
appedus
Awesome tips. Just adding to it:-

Hydrate yourself. Have your sipper around you all the time.

~~~
nextos
Do a cheap OCT scan of your eyes every year.

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imhoguy
Over 25 years in front of screen so here is my recipie:

* flicker-free matte IPS screen

* keeping optimal room light and screen dim

* flux or redshift on linux

* doing frequent breaks and finishing work earlier when I feel eyes may suffer, also intentionally blinking more often to rehydrate them naturally.

* try to not rub eyes with hands, if you need then wash them first.

* habit of changing position and looking at the distance while in thought process

* keeping healthy humidity in the room, especially while room heating or air-con is on.

On TODO list:

* some intelligent audio notification once some long running terminal command finishes or screen updates, possibly paired with webcam to detect my absence.

* switching between dark IDE/terminal theme and usually bright browser pages hurts my eyes, therefore I usually stick to bright themes. Maybe color inversion limited to browser would solve that.

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j_s
Easing Eye Strain with the Right Lenses (2012) |
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15373992](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15373992)

Exercising for Healthier Eyes |
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7480946](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7480946)

Save your eyes, start using f.lux |
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5036590](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5036590)

#eyehealth

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troydavis
I’ll put basic stuff in here, which should be obvious but from talking with
ophthalmologists, often doesn’t happen:

\- visit an eye doctor on whatever schedule they recommend (usually every
other year) and immediately if your vision changes.

“Immediately” is not “I’ll call/go if it’s still a happening in 2-3 days” like
it might be for, say, going to the doctor with fever. Don’t wait.

\- When I’m wearing contacts, I usually take them out and re-wet them (not
just eye drops) in the middle of the day.

\- Obvious but statstically, someone reading this probably does it: don’t ever
reuse contact solution.

~~~
Kevin_S
Don't reuse contact solution? Uh-oh, I do this. It stays in the case for 2-3
days typically. Apparently I should stop...

~~~
mpatobin
If some nasty microbes get under your contact you're going to have a bad time

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drakonka
I use flux and my phone's night mode. I also try to look away from the PC and
focus on a more distant object once in a while during the day (luckily I have
a window right behind me, lots of interesting focus points). I'm not as
consistent with this as I'd like to be though. I also had LASIK in 2009 which
had the biggest positive impact on my eyes of anything else I've done so far.

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aglionby
If you're asking this because you've noticed something weird with your eyes,
things are blurry, or they hurt, go to the opticians. They're best placed to
tell you what to do.

Otherwise, I use a couple of lamps to up the ambient light if the light in the
room is otherwise too dim. Eye drops can also be helpful if you're using a
screen for exceptionally long periods per day.

~~~
paulcole
>opticians

You'd be much better off going to an ophthalmologist, an actual MD who
specializes in vision and the eye.

Opticians just do prescriptions and eyeglass stuff (at least in the US).

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tugberkk
I don't know if anyone heard of Steve Maxwell, he is a well known fitness
educator. He is doing what he calls eye yoga, which is some simple eye
exercises.

Below you can find his morning routine which includes some eye yoga;
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea0ReKfszEM&t=2s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea0ReKfszEM&t=2s)

Simply

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ezconnect
I wished I rested my eyes more and rehydrated my body more frequently. When I
lost my eyes ability to focus it was like an on off switch, it can focus only
on my screen after a few minutes of staring at it. After a few months I cant
control it anymore and had to wear glasses. Doctor says at age 40 above eyes
get dried and lose ability to gocus because the lens is alteady hard

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dineshkapoor27
Take a break every 1 hour for 2-5 minutes. Use rehydration drops if you have
dry eyes. Avoid low lighting areas and I try to reduce brightness in my laptop
if it hurts my eyes. Supplements for Vitamin A,C, B3 etc. are also helpful
(use it after a medical advice though).

~~~
EnderMB
On the subject of drops, it's worth speaking to a pharmacist about getting eye
cream/gel if you find that you suffer from dry eyes.

I used to get occasional headaches, and maybe once or twice a year I'd get a
minor corneal abrasion, which I assumed was from stuff getting into my eyes.
After a while, I was recommended by a doctor to try an eye cream for night
use, and the difference was vast. Alongside my eyes feeling much better, I was
sleeping better as well, which the doctor put down to how the eyes move in the
head while asleep, and my eyes scratching against my lids.

I use drops during the day when I feel the need to, and on occasion when I
feel tired I'll use the eye cream. Since then, no problems with my eyes and no
headaches.

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misframer
I have perfect vision but I use +1.00 reading glasses. That way my eye muscles
aren't working hard all the time to focus up close.

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spotman
drink lots of carrot juice, it’s high in vitamin A

