How far away should you sit from your computer screen? What is the optimal eye-to-screen distance?

Computers are familiar working tools of hundreds of millions of people around the world. We spend many hours every day sitting in front of our computer screens, day after day. So have you ever thought about protecting your eyes when using a computer? Or have you ever wondered how the distance from the eyes to the computer screen is not harmful? Find out below.

Why is distance important?

Do your eyes hurt, feel dry or tired after looking at a computer screen for a long time? If so, you may be sitting too close or too far away from the screen.

How far away from the screen you sit is actually important because sitting too close or too far can be harmful to your eyes. The further away you sit, the smaller the content displayed on the screen will be. If you can't see the content clearly, you will have to strain your eyes to try to read. On the other hand, if you sit too close, things will be 'exaggerated'. This makes it more difficult to absorb content, causing your eyes to overwork due to frequent back and forth. Sitting for a long time in front of a computer screen without the right distance will make your eyes tired and sore, thereby affecting health, labor productivity and even quality of life.

Usually, reading large text is easier for your eyes. This is why it is important to sit at a distance where everything on your screen appears large and sharp. You must never move your head near the screen or squint to see everything. One trick is to always set the default font sans-serif, which is the easiest to read.

If you are experiencing symptoms of eye strain, blurred vision, headache, dry eyes, redness, eye pain, or another type of discomfort, you should pause looking at the screen for as long as possible. Get up, go outside for some fresh air or lie down for a bit and close your eyes to give your body time to rest and regulate itself.

How much distance is reasonable?

In general, the best distance from your eyes to the computer screen is an arm's length, which is about 20 to 30 inches (50 to 70 centimeters). This is the ideal distance for you to observe images, text. on the screen while still being able to protect your eyes and avoid eye strain after a long time working.

More specifically, for screens between 13.3 inches and 15.5 inches, you can sit at a distance of 50cm. With screens of 16 inches or more, you should sit a little further away, size 65cm - 70cm to protect your eyes.

Also, the right position should be that you can read the first line of text on the screen at eye level without having to lean forward. Leaning forward puts your neck in an unnatural position, which can lead to neck pain, or long-term cervical spondylosis.

Especially if you still feel tired and dry eyes despite sitting in the correct position, you may not blink enough. People tend to blink less when they're staring at a screen, so you'll need to pay attention to blink more to avoid dry eyes.

Another situation is that you may open your eyes too wide while staring at the screen. In this case, try placing the monitor slightly lower instead of at eye level.

For multi-monitor setups

When using a PC with a multi-monitor setup, you should still maintain a 20-30 inch distance from your eyes to the panels as usual. Ideally, monitors should be placed at the same height so that you don't have to constantly move your eyes up and down while working.

With a two-monitor setup, it's a good idea to sit in between them so you don't have to turn your head a lot when looking back and forth. The three-monitor setup is similar, you'll feel like you're using an ultra-wide monitor.

Just make sure you don't rotate your neck constantly as it can cause neck pain. The best way to avoid this is to rotate the chair relative to the direction of view.

For laptops

Using a laptop is basically not very good in terms of ergonomics because the keyboard and screen are attached to the same device. The best solution is to buy a separate keyboard and mouse if you often have to sit and use your laptop for a long time.

This way, you can use the laptop as a monitor and place it at an arm's length away. You can also place something underneath it, such as a stand, to raise the monitor to level or slightly below eye level. Then you can sit at a comfortable distance with the keyboard and mouse separate to work like with a desktop computer.

Lesley Montoya

Update 07 July 2022