We often work on screens all day, but few of us would consider protecting our eyes until issues arise. In reality, we cannot perform at our optimal capacity if we neglect our eye and posture comfort.

The equipment we use, and how we use them, can be a contributing factor to eye strain.

If you follow the principle of maximizing productivity by making use of multiple screens, you likely have both a laptop and monitor in your home office. Is one screen better for improving eye comfort and lowering strain than the other?

A monitor provides better customization for your viewing needs, unlike your laptop, as its screen is separate from the keyboard. For better eye comfort you can adjust your monitor’s height and distance from your eyes, or choose a monitor that packs more pixels on its screen at a higher resolution.

With that said, it is probably more advantageous to perfect the ergonomics of your laptop screen first. 

• You can take your laptop wherever you go – it is feasible to pack an extra laptop stand and portable keyboard into your bag. Prioritize that – so you can be ergonomically set up wherever you go.
• On the other hand, carrying a large monitor is often not feasible; you are probably not going to take it out to a coffee shop or library or travel with it. The large monitor screen might not even fit your bag.

Monitor vs Laptop: Which screen is better for your eyes? 

The common problem laptop users have is the issue of fixating on a small screen which typically involves a rigid posture and looking downwards, sometimes even hunching over to view a small screen. This can strain not only the neck and shoulders but also the eyes.

Best for your eyes are monitor screens ranging from 19 to 27 inches. Such a screen size is not too big, so you can have good display sharpness at full HD (1080p) resolution and do not need to worry about positioning your monitor too close for your eye’s comfort.

Also, many brands offer “eye care” monitors using flicker-free and blue light reducing technology that are seriously worth exploring, if you suffer from vision issues. 

In short, this is how I recommend you optimize both your laptop and monitor screens for your eyes:

• Use a laptop (typically 13-15 inches) along with a laptop stand, so you can customize the laptop’s height and separate its screen from the keyboard – use an external keyboard for your typing comfort.
• Use a monitor that is not too large (not beyond 27 inches). Beyond 27 inches you want to consider a resolution higher than full HD, such as 4K resolution, along with a larger desk that helps you sit further away.

Basically, what you need are screens that are appropriately sized and well-positioned for your eyes.

Beyond that, you do not have to worry too much about the type of screens you use, as your habits would matter more. 

It is about how you use your laptop/monitor screens – how you deal with glare, how you adjust your screen’s brightness, whether you block blue light at night, so on and so forth. 

The exception is if you are doing highly visual tasks such as video editing and web design. These tasks deal with fine details and colors. If the nature of your work is highly visual, specific factors like refresh rate, screen resolution, and panel type will matter a lot.

If you already have a laptop and are considering adding either a laptop stand or a monitor to your setup (instead of both), do check out this brief guide with a decision-making process outlined for you.

Refresh rate

The refresh rate of your display is linked to whether your screen flickers. 

The refresh rate of laptops and monitors is typically 60 Hz; that means that the image you see on your screen is being refreshed 60 times per second.

60 Hz is a reasonable refresh rate for getting things done – so this is generally not an issue for typical office tasks involving email, spreadsheets, and PDF documents.

However, the exception is for highly specialized, visual tasks such as video editing and web design. 

• Due to the fine details and colors, these professions would benefit from high-performing monitors that support higher refresh rates of 120 Hz and above. 
• LED screens typically have refresh rates of 400 Hz and above.

Screen resolution

Generally, a screen resolution of 1366 x 768 is adequate for most office tasks, and 1920 x 1080 HD screens should be the minimum for visual professions like video editing. Essentially, like higher refresh rates, screen resolution only becomes more important if you need to view finer details on your screens.

Screen size

Obviously, a laptop is limited in size and most are between 13-15 inches wide. 

Comparatively, a monitor ranges from 19-27 inches, and ultrawide monitors are 32-34 inches wide and beyond. Are larger displays better for your eyes?

A bigger monitor is not always better; you have to sit further away for comfortable viewing and ensure you are not looking up at your screen. Yet, its larger screen width lets you fit more apps and display them at a larger size, which can prevent squinting and eye strain.

Large screens that are beyond 27 inches are tricky. 

First, when your screen size goes up to 30-32 inches, the image quality will begin to suffer and blur – if you are only using a 1080p HD resolution. 

• To avoid causing fatigue and strain to your eyes, consider 4K monitors, which are great for screens beyond 27 inches. 
• But 4K monitors are expensive and most people do not need the 4K features.

Second, you may need to sit further away from your larger screen. 

• This means you need a larger desk (with sufficient depth) so you can position your large monitor further away from you (at least 28 inches away from your eyes). 
• Alternatively, you need a keyboard tray, which also allows you to sit further away as you type.

This is why I recommend not stressing about getting a larger monitor, unless you really need it and will take extra care of such functional issues that come with larger monitors.

Pairing the use of a laptop with a 22-24 inch monitor will be adequate for most people.

Panel Type

The type of panel used to produce your monitor or laptop screen is important. Its quality determines how expensive your laptop or monitor is, and thus the response time, viewing angles, color accuracy, and contrast on your screen.

If you need better panel technology for the visual tasks that you do: 

• Both laptop and monitor displays offer higher quality IPS (In-plane Switching) and OLED panels (Organic Light Emitting Diode). Simply opt for these displays.
• IPS panels give great color accuracy and contrast that is visible even from extreme viewing positions. 
• OLED displays have even better color reproduction and accuracy, and the blacks are much more vivid compared to them being gray-looking on traditional LED displays.

This article was originally published on unboundist.com. If it is now published on any other site, it was done without permission from the copyright owner.

How to protect your eyes with a laptop or monitor

When you work remotely, you are in charge of how you manage your time. But you can easily get engrossed in a project – or even get distracted for a couple of hours – you might end up spending the entire day on your screens, browsing, surfing, or intensely typing away. 

Use these tips to protect your eyes from the effects of heavy screen use while working remotely.

1. Use an external monitor for your laptop

Perhaps you find your laptop screen too close and you fancy working on a larger monitor. An external monitor can be placed a little further away since it is detached on your keyboard. Use a monitor mount if you want to elevate it.

Related: Monitor Setup Ideas for Your Home Office (10+ Tips)

2. Improve your screen’s position relative to your window

If you are facing the window and screen at the same time, your eyes may experience two different sources of light at different intensities hitting your retina – this can irritate and strain your eyes. 

Generally, it is best to position your screen at a 90-degree angle to your window or other light sources.

3. Improve the ambient lighting in your room

Without a doubt, you should have a well-lit room – rather than a dimly lit room with a few bright task lights. 

Lamps that point towards the ceiling can diffuse light effectively over your workspace.

4. Adjust the light level of your monitor or laptop

The brightness of your display should be similar or slightly dimmer than the ambient light level in your room. 

So if you have a very well-lit room, you can increase your monitor or laptop’s brightness to an appropriate level (but not too much), and vice versa if you have a dimmer room.

5. Filter out blue light on your digital devices

You should install a blue light filter like f.lux or iris on your computer. 

These free (or extremely affordable) apps block out blue light on your screens. 

They give your screens the appearance of a warm yellow glow during the evenings that actually relaxes your eyes. 

6. Use blue light blocking glasses

Blue light blocking glasses are designed to filter out the blue light emitted from your monitors and laptops. As a result, you experience less eye strain and disruption to your natural sleep-wake cycles, especially if you tend to work on your digital devices at night.

7. Blink sufficiently while using your screens

The key to blinking enough is to avoid staring – staring is the number one bad habit when it comes to using a screen for a prolonged period of time. Coders, designers, and video editors are prone to staring, given the nature of their work. 

Instead, you want to keep your eyes moving around the screen and keep blinking.

8. Use the 20-20-20 rule

This is a popular rule which works well if you actually set a timer. 

Every 20 minutes, look away from your computer and at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Monitors with eye care technology

There are monitors in the market that are specially marketed as “eye care” monitors, by reputable brands such as ASUS, Samsung, and BenQ. 

While not scientifically proven to work, many of these monitors are formally certified by specialists to reduce eye strain. They use various technologies to mitigate common eye problems, resulting from long hours of work on digital screens.

Who should consider these eye care monitors? 

Generally, anyone who does highly visual tasks or work that requires long hours of staring at screens all day: video editing, design, coding, writing, and so on. Anyone who experiences digital eye strain will find it worthwhile to at least check out these options. 

After all, your laptop or monitor screen is the largest source of digital eye strain and you inevitably cannot go without using one. So, you might find it worthwhile to invest in the best screens.

For example, the BenQ eye care monitors are designed to tackle poor color contrast, flickering, and excessive exposure to blue light emitted from your screens throughout the evenings and nighttimes. This is possible due to their IPS monitors that come with 1080p resolution, flicker-free eye protection, and low blue light technology. 

While such monitors are not a cure-all for digital eye strain, they are worth checking out and could enable you to work comfortably for longer periods than you actually do.

Summary

Getting the right laptop or monitor display is a wise investment, but not a complete cure-all for protecting your eyes.

So, besides getting the right type of display, the other obvious half of the equation is to employ the right digital habits while working remotely.

If you are doing anything wrong, go through this list of items so that you can figure out what to fix and correct. 

Then, you can keep yourself in the best condition to ace your remote projects and enjoy your digital lifestyle.