If your work is mostly screens, your eyes take the hit first: dry, heavy, and by late afternoon, tired-looking. You don't need an hour of self-care to help that. Here's a routine built from small things you can fit into a normal workday.
every 20 minutes: look away.
The 20-20-20 habit: every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds. A window is ideal. It gives the muscles that focus your eyes a break. Set a quiet reminder until it becomes automatic.
every hour: blink on purpose.
We blink much less when we stare at a screen, which is a big reason eyes feel dry and gritty. Once an hour, close your eyes slowly and fully ten times. It feels silly and it works.
set up your screen.
- Top of the screen at or just below eye level, about an arm's length away.
- Brightness close to the room's light. A bright screen in a dark room is hard work for your eyes.
- Bigger text. If you lean in to read, zoom in.
- Face a window on video calls rather than sitting with it behind you. You'll look less tired on camera, too.
at lunch: water and daylight.
A glass of water and ten minutes outside do more for how you look at 4 pm than most products. Daylight also helps your body clock, which helps your sleep, which helps everything else.
at 4 pm: ten minutes, eyes closed.
This is the slump: the point where your eyes feel heaviest. Take ten minutes with your eyes closed. Do it on a call with your camera off, with a podcast, or just leaning back in your chair. Add something cool or relaxing under the eyes if you like: a cold compress, a slow massage with your ring fingers, or a device made for it.
That last one is why we made bewhile halo. It's red light and gentle EMS under each eye, in a frame you wear like glasses, so the ten minutes happen in time you already have. It switches itself off when the session's done.
at night: screens down, then sleep.
- Put your phone away 30 minutes before bed if you can manage it.
- Go easy on salt late at night, which helps with morning puffiness.
- Sleeping with your head slightly raised helps too.
when to see a doctor.
If your eyes are often red, painful, very dry, sensitive to light, or your vision changes, see an eye doctor. Tired eyes are common; they shouldn't hurt.
bewhile halo launches on 10 December. Leave your email and we'll tell you the day it's ready.