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(gentle music) Some of the display screen hazards is that it's too high or too low and this causes us to work with our head and neck and shoulders and even our back in a potentially awkward posture. If it's too high, we'll be leaning back. If it's too low, we'll be leaning forward. When the monitor is too high, you have to work in a way that your head is tilted up on it's axis. That's naturally going to be out of alignment and cause some MSD types of symptoms. So working in these awkward postures is definitely not good even in a short term and I mean short term being 10, 15 minutes let alone you can imagine hours of programming, hours of data entry so those prolonged periods are what's going to build up over time and cause those muscles to have some real problems along with even the vertebral discs starting to show signs and symptoms of that stress as well. Some of the possible solutions would be that the top of the monitor should be at or slightly below the eye level. So we're talking about a monitor top that's just about at eye level. The center of the computer monitor should normally be located 15 to 20 degrees below the horizontal eye level and the entire visual area of the display screen should be located so that the downward viewing angle is never greater than 60 degrees when you're in any of the four postures we talked about. Now, in a reclining posture, the straightforward line of sight will not be parallel with the floor which may increase the downward viewing angle. So again, this type of viewing is going to make your head have to be in a different position that's not neutral or in line and this is called postural strain. Using very, very large monitors also may increase the angle. Now we think that that would always help but in certain cases if your monitor is too large, you still may do like the IMAX theater thing where you have to look around the screen to see the object that you're trying to find. So remove some or even all of the equipment and then make sure on the monitor that you're looking at that's where you're going to be able to stay at a neutral position. Generally, placing the monitor on top of the computer case will always raise it too high but for all of the tallest users, it may be exactly what you need to fix the problem. So elevate your line of sight by raising your chair. Be sure that you have adequate space for your thighs under the desk and that your feet are well supported. For those of you that wear bifocals, typically view the monitor through the bottom portion of their glasses is the norm. This causes them to tilt their head backwards to see a monitor that may otherwise be appropriately placed. As with a monitor that is too high, this can definitely fatigue your muscles that support the head. Some possible solutions include lowering the monitor, even if this means going below the recommendation. Remember common sense is still probably gonna be key in many of these situations. So if you lower that monitor, you can then maintain appropriate neutral neck position while viewing your screen out of the lower half of your glasses. If you have to, even tilt the monitor screen in an upward fashion so that it is more parallel to your viewing posture of your face. You could also raise the chair height until you can view the monitor without tilting your head back. Now, let's talk about potential hazards in viewing the monitor for too long a period of time. It causes eye fatigue and dryness and that probably goes without saying. Anybody who's watched a movie or has worked on a project on a screen for any given amount of time knows exactly what I'm talking about. We oftentimes blink less while we're viewing a monitor. Some of the possible solutions are to rest your eyes periodically by focusing on objects that are farther away. For example, a clock on a wall that's at least 20 feet away, you're gonna stop and look away and blink at regular intervals to moisten the eyes for about 20 seconds. Alternate duties with other non-computer tasks such as filing or phone work or a customer interaction to provide periods of rest for the eyes is always a good idea. Another potential hazard for monitors are if they're tilted significantly one way or the other they could develop some type of glare and that could also then distort the objects on the screen, making them difficult to read. When the monitor is tilted back, overhead lights create that glare as well as the sun could create that glare and this can all result in eye straining and then sitting in an awkward posture just to avoid the eye glare. Some possible solutions is to simply tilt the monitor so that it's perpendicular to your line of sight. Usually by tilting the screen no more than 10 to 20 degrees, it'll repair this problem. This is the most easily done fix that I know of and usually it's perfect because the monitor itself has it's own riser or swivel and so just moving it around a little bit will take care of that problem. A temporary solution involves tilting the monitor back slightly by placing a simple book or something under the front edge. The monitor support services should allow the user to modify viewing distances and be able to tilt or rotate the angles if you need to. So, when it comes to monitors, you can prevent a lot of negative effects like excessive fatigue, the eye strain and the neck and back pain just by following these simple solutions.
Proper positioning and frequent breaks from computer monitors can be crucial to prevent eye and other postural strain.