Comfortable Gaming: Screen Brightness, Breaks, and Eye Strain

When you're focused on a game, you tend to blink less and stare at the same distance for a long time. That's why your eyes can feel dry or tired after a long session, especially in the evening.

The good news is that a few small habits make a big difference.

Eye care experts often recommend the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds.

It's easy to forget when you're in the middle of a game, so try linking it to natural pauses. When you finish a level or a run ends, look out of the window or across the room before starting the next one.

Remember to blink, too. It sounds silly, but concentrating on a screen genuinely makes us blink less.

Your screen shouldn't be much brighter or darker than the room around you. A very bright screen in a dark room is one of the main causes of eye strain at night.

In the evening, turn your screen brightness down and keep a light on in the room. Most phones and computers also have a night mode that makes colors warmer, which many people find more comfortable after dark.

Dark mode in your browser and operating system can help too, because it reduces the amount of bright white around the game.

Sit at a comfortable distance from your screen, roughly an arm's length for a computer. Keep your phone a little further from your face than feels natural.

Take proper breaks every half hour or so. Stand up, stretch your hands and shoulders, and move around. Fast reflex games in particular can tire out your hands.

If flashing or fast motion in a game makes you uncomfortable, look for a setting to reduce effects, or pick a calmer game. If you ever feel unwell from flashing lights, stop playing straight away.

If your eyes still feel sore regularly, it's worth getting them checked by an optician.