It’s finally 5 o’clock. As you shut off your computer and head out the door, you realize that everything looks more blurry than usual, your eyes feel strained and you begin to notice a dull headache. You take off your glasses and rub your eyes, but it doesn’t really help.

In our digitally dominated world, eye strain is far more common than it once was. Our devices follow us everywhere and even restaurant menus and billboards have changed to yet another screen for us to look at. We can all attest to the fact that staring at a screen for hours on end, whether it’s for work or recreation, really can take a toll on your eyes. Here are some common-sense tips you can implement to reduce eye strain and save your eyes.

1. Adjust your screen to match the brightness as your surroundings. Looking at a super bright screen in a dark room is a major strain on your eyes. Alternately, trying to squint to view details on a dark screen in a bright room doesn’t do your eyes any favors either.

2. If you’re reading over articles or documents, or typing up an email, make sure to change your text to a size that is comfortable for you to read, not too small and not too large. Also, keep in mind that black letters on a white background are ideal for eye comfort when reading on a screen for a long period of time.

3. You can also adjust the temperature of your screen. Blue light tends to cause more strain while more orangey or red light is much easier on your sight. Some devices even have a “twilight” feature that can be turned on to automatically give the screen a kind of sepia hue that is much gentler to look at.

4. You’ve probably heard this one before, but we’re still going to say it: follow the 20-20-20 rule. Look away from your screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds at something 20 feet away. Is your office only a small 6’x8’ space with no window? Then that’s a great excuse to get up and walk out to the hallway, or somewhere else you can look 20 feet away. (This has the added health benefit of keeping you moving   getting you out of your chair regularly, which is good for so many facets of your well-being!)

We hope you find these tips helpful. Hopefully they help you save money, too by reducing your need for headache medicine and eliminating the need for a stronger prescription for your contact lenses!