<p>My head's about 1.5-2 feet away from my monitor, and I've been here staring at the screen for several hours typing an essay. I'm wondering, is this bad for my eyes?</p>
<p>i don't know the measruement, but a good range is an arm's length away. also, if you're using a CRT, you need to take your eyes away more often. maybe 15 minutes after every 1.5 hours.</p>
<p>What's a CRT?</p>
<p>how big is your monitor? if it's as big as a small television, then that's a CRT (cathode ray tube).</p>
<p>I have my brightness down--much easier on the eyes.</p>
<p>I have one of those flat 17-inch monitors.</p>
<p>flat panel or flat screen? (they're not the smae). flat panel is easier on the eyes and you don't need to rest as often as CRT</p>
<p>Sure, it's bad for your eyes. They may even ache after prolonged sessions of use. I'm convinced that my use of computers has degraded my vision. I have always used small CRT monitors at ultra-high resolutions in dark rooms for hours on end.</p>
<p>Purchase a/n LCD (liquid crystal display) that has a high contrast ratio, bright screen, and comfortable viewing angle. Now, set your word processor to display pages with white text on navy blue backgrounds. This configuration is easy on the eyes. Next, consider changing your display settings to a lower resolution. While this limits the quantity of information one can view at any given time, it reduces eye and wrist strain (that result from squinting and tension from fine articulation of the mouse). Every 15 minutes or so, open your dormitory door or look through a window and focus on a horizon line (a doorknob, the setting sun, a floor tile) for several seconds, allowing your eyes to adjust to the new focal distance. Also, try closing your eyes, lightly, when they fatigue or lose focus. Moving powerful light sources like desk lamps can also help.</p>
<p>i have a flat screen one and i always lower the brightness whenever my eyes feel tired.
Sometimes, i swear, i can feel the computery rays penetrating my eyeballs..</p>
<p>Staring at a CRT for logn periods of time is bad bad bad bad bad. Get an LCD. They're really cheap now</p>
<p>The best thing to do is to increase your current monitor's refresh rate. You can do this by (assuming you are using a modern version of Windows) right-clicking on your desktop and clicking properties on the menu. Go to the settings tab, and somewhere in there (depending on your graphics card, etc.) you will be able to change the monitor refresh rate. Its default is 60 Hz, which for me, anyway, is very irritating as I can see the screen flickering when I look away. Set this to 75 or 80 Hz and the screen should be far easier on your eyes.</p>
<p>If you have an older CRT monitor, like mine, your monitor may not be able to handle over 60hz. Even worse, your computer may not be powerful enough to render to a large screen at high refresh rates. . .</p>
<p>Solution? Suffer. It'll be something to tell the grandkids about!</p>
<p>"In . . . my day, we watched the computers!"</p>
<p><em>gasps</em></p>
<p>"ooooooooooooo"</p>
<p>Keep the lights in your room bright as well. A lot of people like working with computers in the dark, but I find that it strains my eyes.</p>
<p>And also, don't be afraid to turn the computer off and find something else to do. TV is always good.</p>
<p>Something that people forget to do while working on the computer for extended periods of time is to blink. You stare so intently at the screen, especially while typing, that your blinking rate slows down significantly. If you feel your eyes burning, use some eye drops or get up and take a short break. Splash some water on your face. Drink water...stay hydrated.</p>
<p>Flat screen monitors or LCDs can reduce glare. Adjusting the frame rate can help if you're sensitive to screen flicker. Ajusting screen brightness can help reduce eye fatigue. Even so, long periods of time in front of any kind of monitor or LCD will cause eye strain. And with Winter coming on and with dry heat circulating in your dorm room, your eyes will get tired that much faster...</p>