How to maintain eye health in a world of screens: my personal experience
10–12 hours at the computer every day. Eyes get red, dryness appears. What helped — simple protocols.
Temirlan Mukatayev
I am a developer and I spend 10 to 12 hours at the computer every day. A couple of months ago I started noticing it: my eyes often turned red, there was a feeling of “sand” in them, and by the evening — a headache and brain fog. That was a signal: it was time to take eye health seriously.
👁 Why eyes suffer when you work at a screen
Dry eye syndrome, eye strain, light sensitivity and even declining visual acuity are not just for the elderly. They come to many of us after a few years (and sometimes months) of constant work at a monitor. The reasons:
- We blink 3 times less often when looking at a screen.
- The strain on the eye muscles is high, especially in poor lighting.
- A lack of vitamins, omega‑3 and antioxidants keeps the eyes from recovering.
🧪 What I started doing
After visiting an ophthalmologist, I put together a course of 5 supplements available on iHerb:
1. AREDS2 complex
Lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamins C and E, zinc and copper — to protect the macula.
2. Omega‑3 + vitamin D3
Supports the tear film and reduces inflammation — I chose Nordic Naturals.
3. MacuGuard (Life Extension)
Saffron + carotenoids + astaxanthin — improves night and contrast vision.
4. Astaxanthin (California Gold)
A powerful antioxidant that relieves eye fatigue from blue screens.
5. TheraTears — eye drops
Preservative-free — a rescue from dryness until the morning.
📅 How I take them
I eat twice a day, lunch and dinner:
- Lunch: AREDS2 + omega‑3 + MacuGuard — with fatty food.
- Dinner: astaxanthin — with fatty food.
- During the day: TheraTears drops — as needed.
🔁 Additional measures
- The 20‑20‑20 rule: every 20 minutes, look into the distance for 20 seconds.
- I sleep at least 7 hours.
- I drink 1.5–2 liters of water a day.
- The monitor is below eye level, the room is brightly lit.
✍️ First results after 2 weeks
- The redness is gone.
- Eye fatigue is gone.
- Headaches are rare.
- My eyes open more easily in the morning.
📌 Recommendations for you
- Start with screen habits and eye drops.
- Add omega-3, lutein and zeaxanthin.
- Watch your lighting and monitor position.
- Rest your eyes regularly and don’t forget about sleep.
💬 Subscribe to the blog if you are interested in experiments on restoring health after IT burnout — I will be back in a month with updates and test results!
👁️ Take care of your eyesight — it can’t be replaced like a laptop battery.