The Screen
The key points to take care of are:
the height of the screen
the distance between the screen and your eyes
the angle of the screen
reflections should be avoided
positive polarity
don’t forget to blink
The Screen
The top line of the screen ideally should be at or below your eye level.
Keep a viewing distance between 50 to 70 cm, the “mirrorball effect“ should be avoided!
Daylight comes best from the side, sit next to the window.
Are you wearing glasses? Check if they are ideal to work with your computer.
The screen should be tilted backwards, allowing the view to be vertical, i.e. perpendicular to the screen.
Train yourself to blink a lot to prevent your eye surface from drying out.
Placing the screen requires attention; in a (remote) working situation, your ability to concentrate and focus is most important. Avoiding visual difficulties and health issues related with your eyes, your neck, your back... among several other things, contributes to you working most efficiently, with top concentration.
The space
Right in front of you, no side position while using just one monitor.
Your monitor should be slightly below eye level.
The distance between the lower edge of the screen and the table top should be as small as possible.
Pay attention to avoid reflections or the so-called mirrorball effect. This might happen when sitting nearby windows, depending on the orientation of the geographical north and the time of year. Check if anything behind you could cause reflections on your screen. Curtains or blinds can be fitted to the windows to limit both direct and reflected screen glare.
Do not place the monitor directly under the ceiling lights. An appropriate arrangement of the lights can help to avoid reflected glare. Table lamps are also highly reflective – if this is the case in your home office set-up, you should reposition them, ideally indirectly above the workspace.
Best, you work in a uniformly illuminated room without strong shadows – if needed, you should put up an additional workplace lamp.
Rule of thumb
It should be about arm’s length away from your face, depending on the size of your screen. To be more specific, the size of the screen correlates directly with the viewing distance, for example:
For a 15” screen a 50 cm viewing distance is recommended.
17” -> 60 cm
21” -> 80 cm
The monitor position should be adjusted to the lenses you wear, think about the eye-strain or muscular-skeletal strain. The easier it is for your eyes to do their work, the easier you’ll be able to get your work done – without headaches and with top concentration.
Working near to the window is always recommended. It is important that glare and reflections are avoided.
A favourable viewing angle is at about 20 degrees, for example at a viewing distance of 60 cm at the centre of the screen should be about 20 cm below your eyes. Check if this works for you, the values differ between about 10 to 30 degrees for different persons.
Blink and keep blinking. Studies have shown that users "forget" to blink which deprives the eye of needed moisture, causing blurry vision and discomfort.
To avoid dry eyes, take a break, rest your eyes at least every two hours, move, do a simple exercise or do a non-screen task.
Laptop
The distance between the screen and the eye should be approximately 50 cm to 60 cm.
Angle the laptop screen back, so you can see it with the least amount of neck deviation as possible. Attaching an external screen can help you work in a better position. If you do not have an external screen, place your laptop on a stable support surface, such as monitor risers, reams of paper, or phone books – so that the screen height can be adjusted.
Attaching an external keyboard and mouse can give you a way more comfortable working position, too.
Maintain a neutral neck posture. Take care of your neck, your back, your eyes & hands among others). Your body will accompany you all your life.
Muscle tension in the upper back, neck and shoulders can lead to headaches or problems with your vision, as the flow of blood is restricted to your eyes.
Stand up, stretch, and move.
