At the office, you get up for a meeting, go and see a colleague, have lunch outside. Working from home, everything happens on the same screen — often a laptop on the kitchen table. After a few weeks, many employees notice the same thing: more tired eyes in the evening, a stiff neck, headaches at the end of the day.
Set up your workstation in 10 minutes
The screen at the right height
The top of the screen at eye level, or slightly below, at arm's length. On a laptop, that's impossible without help: a stack of books and a separate keyboard will do. Looking slightly downwards opens your eyelids less, so the eye dries out less.
The window to the side
A window behind you creates reflections on the screen; a window in front of you dazzles. Place your desk at right angles to the window. In the evening, switch on a lamp: working in a dark room facing a bright screen is the most tiring set-up of all.
Text that's big enough
Zoom to 110 or 125% in your browser and spreadsheets. If you lean towards the screen, the text is too small.
Organise your day
- Turn your camera off when you can and look elsewhere during audio calls. A 45-minute video call means 45 minutes of fixed gaze.
- Take calls while walking. A team phone catch-up works perfectly well on foot.
- Apply the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look into the distance for 20 seconds. A reminder in your calendar helps for the first few days.
- Have lunch without a screen. It's the longest real break of the day.
We detail all these habits in our guide to beating eye strain.
And a pair of blue light glasses?
It isn't essential, and it won't make up for a badly set-up workstation. But when working from home, many people appreciate clear lenses with an anti-reflective coating: fewer halos around text, and noticeable comfort over long days. Choose a frame light enough to forget for eight hours, and understated enough to keep on during video calls:
- MIDI — round and black, the most discreet in meetings;
- HAVANE — round tortoiseshell, warmer on camera;
- JADE — translucent green, for those who embrace colour.
To finish a project late in the evening, an amber tint like SAFRAN filters more. Keep it for the evening, not for night driving.
If you already wear prescription glasses
Our glasses are non-prescription. If you wear prescription glasses, ask for an anti-reflective or blue light filter coating on your corrective lenses at your next renewal instead: it's the most comfortable solution.
Read next: Computer glasses: which ones should you choose? · Developers: looking after your eyes during long coding sessions · Blue light glasses: are they covered by health insurance in France?