First of all you should get yourself a really big monitor. Even LCD screens are not that expensive anymore. I recently bought a 20 inch widescreen LCD and didn't pay that much. Then you change the default fonts to 120dpi (from 96 dpi) in windows and sit back. I am now not that close to the monitor with my eyes anymore and I can really feel the differnce (that is if I am not in bed with my laptop).

Next get yourself a chair that is suitable for long hours (at least it needs good back support) or sit on one of those gymnastic balls.

Then you should consider taking breaks. Force yourself to get up every now and then and take short 5-10 minute walk. Focus your eyes in the distance to relax them or sit down somewhere an close your eyes (make sure you are sitting somewhere else, so you don't have the same position).

Make yourself comfortable. At work I have a footrest and it really makes a difference. I like putting my feet up. At home I take the laptop and sit on the couch (feet up). After one hour I go and sit at the desk and after another hour I put the laptop in front of me on the floor and lay on my stomach. If I shift positions I don't feel exhausted.

But most important: Don't overdo it if you can.

At night, turn down the brightness of your screen. I read about a study, that showed if people are exposed to cold light, they have a hard time adjusting to sleep. If they are exposed to warmer light (yellowish, reddish) before going to bed they sleep better. This is simply nature telling us when to get sleepy (the sun gets red at sunset). To look sparkling bright most monitors are adjusted to very cold tones (especially cheap LCD). I have to calibrate my monitors anyways (for photography) but maybe you should adjust the color tone of your monitor (the risk is that photos look unnatural, so for photography I have to adjust it to 6500 Kelvin, but for your purposes you might be able to go higher). Reduce your exposure to bright cold light at night and turn on a lamp with an ordinary bulb (no halogen and fluorescent light is the worst). Do not use the computer right until you go to bed. You won't sleep well.

Andre

Travel Photos

These tips are very important and useful. I am taking them down and starting to implement what I should have done the first time I started doing this job. Gotta find a way to get a bigger monitor, better chair and got to adjust the lighting in my PC especially at night coz most of the time, I find my eyes very tired already at night, maybe because of the light of the monitor, seems like it is straining my eyes. Now, I have another light bulb here, it seems better than before. Wish I could also use a laptop for my job so that I can change positions but that would cost me a fortune. :)