I’m not going to lie, I am blind. Without my contacts or glasses, I can’t see anything. It doesn’t help that most of my past jobs required me to stare at monitors, camera screens, or computer screens. Now as a designer, I’m always on the computer creating websites or designing projects in Photoshop or Illustrator. So, how do I save my eyes?

Dim lights on the computer

I always dim the lights on my computer. Staring at a bright screen for so long is bad. After a while, I will definitely get a migraine, so I always dim the lights on any computer I use.

The other tip is to use a black background. My Gmail, google calendar and google chrome all use a dark theme. This is much easier on my eyes.

Not only that, but I also use an app to automatically dim the lights on my computer when it’s night time. Staring at blue light tricks your body into staying awake, so the light turns yellow at night. This also reminds me that it’s almost time for bed.  Which is the next tip?

Here is the software I use to dim my computer display. It’s called f.lux. It’s free.

Sleep more, stare at the phone less

Sleep is very important for everything in life. No one can function without sleep. In fact, I’m reading,  Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind (The 99U Book Series) (This is an affiliate link), and they stated: “You can live weeks without food, but you can’t live without sleep.” When I read this I thought this is so true. Why did I think I could go without sleep? We all have that, “I’ll sleep when I die” mentality. Where did that come from?

Sleep is important because it rejuvenates your body, this goes for your eyes too. I also want to note that I, along with many of you, have the bad habit of checking my phone at night or playing games. I recently stopped that habit. I don’t look at my phone, unless it’s an emergency, 2 hours before my bedtime. I also set my phone display to auto brightness so that it adjusts automatically to the light in the room.

Dance break

When I start working, nothing can stop me. Since I know that, I started scheduling dance breaks in between my work schedule. This helps me get away from the computer and makes me get out of my chair and get some exercise.

Drink this

Of course, you should be drinking at least 8 to 10 cups of water a day, but besides that, I have started drinking Cassia seed tea. It’s good for your eyes.

I found out about this tea because my mom has recently bought a big box of it home.  She bought it because she knew I was on the computer all day. She started drinking it, probably because it’s supposed to be good for weight loss (which motivated me more to drink it). Before I started drinking it, I read that this is the preferred tea for office employees in China. Cool, right?

I don’t know if this is sold in normal stores, but we get ours from H-mart (I don’t think I’ve mentioned that my mom is Korean and that I’m half). If you have an Asian store near you, check it out.

For the ladies, and maybe men

I want to mention eye cream. I just recently started using Yes To Cucumber Soothing Eye Gel (affiliate link, gotta make the money). I love this eye cream because it has a cooling effect. At night after staring so hard at the computer, it’s very soothing on the eyes.

Does anyone else have any tips on preserving their eyesight? I would love to know. Leave a comment below or contact me.

-Paigon | Natasha Lane Design Co.