How to Set Up an Eye-Friendly Home Office

Distance

50–70cm from your eyes — roughly arm's length. Closer forces constant focus effort; further makes you squint. If you find yourself leaning in, increase your font size rather than moving the screen closer.

Height

The top of your screen should be at or slightly below eye level. This puts your natural downward gaze angle at the centre of the screen, keeps your eyelids partially lowered (slowing tear evaporation), and reduces neck strain.

Angle

Tilt the screen back 10–20 degrees. This reduces glare from overhead lighting and matches the natural downward viewing angle.

Laptop users

Laptop screens are almost impossible to position correctly without a stand. A monitor stand or arm plus an external keyboard and mouse is the single highest-impact ergonomic investment a laptop user can make.

Window position

Windows should be to the side of your screen, never directly in front or behind. In front: glare on screen. Behind: the bright background silhouettes your screen, forcing your eyes to adjust constantly.

Ambient brightness

Your screen should not be significantly brighter or darker than the room around it. A screen glowing like a torch in a dim room is one of the most common causes of eye fatigue.

Screen brightness

Match it to your ambient light. In bright daylight, increase it. In a dim room, reduce it. Enable auto-brightness if your device supports it.

Overhead lighting

Direct overhead fluorescent or LED lighting causes glare on screens and visual fatigue. Diffuse lighting (indirect, bounced off walls or ceiling) is significantly better. A desk lamp that lights your workspace without hitting the screen directly is the ideal supplement.

Colour temperature

Set to around 6500K for daytime work — this is neutral white. Drop to 5000–4000K in the evening using Night Shift, Night Light, or f.lux.

Contrast

Factory default contrast settings are usually acceptable. If text feels hard to read, increase contrast rather than increasing font size or moving closer.

Refresh rate

Use the highest refresh rate your monitor supports. 60Hz is the minimum; 120Hz or higher significantly reduces flicker-related eye strain, particularly for people who are sensitive to it.

Resolution

Use native resolution rather than scaling up. Non-native resolution forces anti-aliasing that can make text appear slightly soft, increasing the effort required to read.

Chair height

Your feet should rest flat on the floor (or a footrest), thighs roughly parallel to the ground. This takes the strain off your lower back and reduces the postural tension that contributes to eye strain headaches.

Lumbar support

Your lower back should be supported in its natural slight inward curve. Sustained forward lean causes the neck and shoulder muscles to compensate, often creating tension headaches that radiate around the eyes.

Keyboard and mouse position

Ideally at or just below elbow height. Keyboards and mice placed too high raise your shoulders; too far away causes you to reach and lean forward, moving your face closer to the screen.

Break schedule

Every 20 minutes, look at something 6+ metres away for 20 seconds. Every 60–90 minutes, stand up, move, and look away from all screens. Set timers — your brain will not remind you reliably.

Blink rate

Even a perfect setup won't fix reduced blink rate during focused work. This drops by up to 70% on screens regardless of ergonomics, and is the most direct cause of dryness and burning. Track it in real time with blink!.

Screen-free time

Leave at least 30–60 minutes before sleep without any screens. Your eyes need recovery time, and your sleep quality directly determines how quickly eye strain accumulates the next day.