[auganov]

Screen time itself shouldn't cause eyestrain. Reading is the most likely culprit. Pay attention to when you're actually exerting your eyes. For example, when trying to read a very small font you should feel your eyes working harder. See if reading a larger font feels easier. But sometimes it could be something more subtle like reading technique. Perhaps you're fixating on words or some details for too long.

I hardly ever get eyestrain. But when very focused on a task for long hours, I find I may inadvertently exert my eyes more. Never happens with casual reading.

[hnick]

> Screen time itself shouldn't cause eyestrain. Reading is the most likely culprit.

I think this is true, because for me when I'm having a bad eye day I can play games for hours but struggle to read through a paragraph.

I had laser eye surgery and almost regret it, my eyes get dry easily now (I seem to get recurring blepharitis which I lessen with a heat pack) and one eye in particular almost always feels like it has grit in it. But I can play games or watch videos and it's engaging enough that I forget all that, while reading is a completely different story.

Dark mode and larger fonts definitely help, as does a downward eye angle. My work laptop screen does not help, I don't know what it is but I just feel worse at the end of a day that I use it. I think the text is probably too small but I don't realise because in proportion to the smaller screen size it looks large.

[auganov]

> I think the text is probably too small but I don't realise because in proportion to the smaller screen size it looks large.

My laptop is 1366x768 and it feels "wrong" to be zooming-in when screen real estate is already so limited. But once you get over the initial weirdness, you'll just keep doing it. Right now, on my desktop, I have HN at 250% zoom. I can make out 100%, 150% is perfectly readable, but 250% just feels great. Also many sites, including HN, have unlimited or very long paragraph widths so zooming fixes that too.

[hnick]

> 1366x768

Yeah I think my work issued 14" is too. It certainly doesn't help that something like MS Teams wastes so much space even with 'full screen' active, and the same for various ribbon UIs. But I think you're right I should just give up and zoom.

[m00x]

It's also good to follow the 20/20/20 rule. Each 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at something at least 20 feet away (20m works too, for metric users).

Having your eye focus at a certain distance for a long time has an effect on your ocular muscles.

[auganov]

Yes. But ideally this should happen instinctively. Say, if you're thinking, it's pretty natural to defocus or look at wherever. Whenever you're not actually reading or looking at something on the screen your eyes should wander off even if it's just for a few seconds.