Many of computer users that sit infront of the monitor for hours daily will face problems like eye strain. It is especially to users who read or process documents using the computer.

But do spending hours infront of the monitor means you have to suffer from eye strain? The answer is, NO. There are two ways that can help you to avoid that. Rest? Exercise? No, but just change some monitor settings on your computer.


Turn on ClearType in Microsoft Windows XP
With ClearType, you can adjust how the font should look like so it will be more comfortable to be read on. I don’t mean the font type, but the way it display. Use the online ClearType Tuner to turn on ClearType and set the way you want to read.

This online tool can only be used using Internet Explorer, and not Mozilla Firefox. I’m not sure why, but obviously, since it is by Microsoft. I doubt this can be done using other version of Windows other than Windows XP, but you can give it a try.

Alternatively, you can still get this done without using the online tool, by downloading the Windows XP ClearType Tuner PowerToy.

Increase Monitor’s Refresh Rate
Your screen may flickers if your screen refresh rate is too low. Flickers will irritate your eyes and cause eye strain. To prevent this, you should set your a higher refresh rate on your monitor.

How to change the refresh rate

1. Go to Control Panel > Display
2. Click on the Settings tab > Advanced > Monitor
3. Check the ‘Hide modes that this monitor cannot display‘ box if it is unchecked. This will then give a drop down list of refresh rates that your monitor safely supports and you may set it up without error. Skip this step if it is already checked.
4. On the drop down list, select higher refresh rate. It is recommended that the refresh rate is set to 75 Hz, or slightly higher.

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