The use of computers in offices has increased dramatically in the last 20 years which has resulted in an increase in computer related health disorders. The most common of which are eye and vision problems, and although these are usually temporary they can cause significant discomfort .

The majority of eye strain is easily preventable and so we’ve put together the below tips to help you avoid any pain.

The right computer screen should have a large, clean and flat screen with easily adjustable contrast and brightness. Images displayed on screen should always be sharp and in clear focus.

The most important ergonomic factor for eye strain is the distance of the eyes from the computer screen. You should arrange your workstation so that the screen is between 18 and 30 inches from your eyes.

Prevent glare, shadow and reflections caused by external sources of light as these can contribute to eye strain. You can control natural light from windows with curtains or window tinting and reposition your workstation to adjust light falling directly on the screen.

Take regular breaks from computer use to allow the eyes to recover and focus on distant objects. You should take regular breaks from looking at your screen. We recommend the 20/20/20 rule – after 20 minutes of computer use, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

Perform eye exercises regularly. You should take a few minutes to perform simple eye exercises every hour. Here are a couple of simple exercises that we recommend:

• Hold a pencil in front of you at arm's length. Move your arm slowly to your nose. Follow the pencil with your eyes until you can keep it in focus. Repeat 10 times.
• Try sitting about 6 inches (15 cm) from a window. Make a mark on the glass at eye-level. Look through this mark and focus on something far away, then adjust your focus to the mark.