How to Rest Your Eyes: Keep Your Vision Comfortable

Why Your Eyes Need Rest

Your visual system works like any other part of your body, performing best with a rhythm of effort and recovery. During prolonged close work, the ciliary muscle that controls visual focus stays engaged, which leads to fatigue and difficulty refocusing at a distance. At the same time, screen use lowers your natural blink rate, allowing the tear film to evaporate and leaving the surface of the eye dry and irritated.  

Glare, reflections, and high contrast make the eyes work harder to maintain clarity, especially in harsh or uneven lighting. Small fonts, long reading sessions, and constant multitasking increase the brain’s visual processing load, which can contribute to headaches and tension around the eyes, neck, and shoulders. Evening exposure to bright, blue-rich light can also disrupt circadian rhythms, reducing sleep quality and making eyes feel more tired the next day.

Signs Your Eyes Could Use a Break

Working for extended periods of time is always cause to take a break, but if you notice any of these symptoms, it’s essential to give your eyes time to rest.

• Tired, Burning, or Dry Eyes: Irritation that improves after closing your eyes or stepping away. 

• Blurred or Fluctuating Vision: Words lose crispness, especially at the end of the day, then clear again after a pause. 

• Slow Refocus from Near to Far: The dashboard or across-the-room details stay soft for a moment after reading or screen work. 

• Headaches or Pressure Around the Eyes: Often paired with tightness in the temples, neck, or shoulders. 

• Light Sensitivity and Glare Discomfort: Bright screens or overhead lights feel harsh and make you squint. 

• Increased Need to Rub Your Eyes or Blink Hard: A sign that the surface of your eye is dry or the focusing system is fatigued. 

• Watering or Redness: Reflex tearing and redness can occur when the surface is irritated or dry. 

• Reduced Productivity or Attention: You reread lines, lose your place, or need frequent corrections. 

If these symptoms show up most days or do not improve with short breaks, an eye exam can check for dry eye, binocular vision issues, or a prescription change that may be contributing to strain.

The Best Ways to Rest Your Eyes

Short, consistent habits reduce strain quickly and keep your vision comfortable throughout the day. Use the quick resets below, then pair them with smart workspace, moisture support, time outdoors, and better sleep to give your eyes the full recovery they need. 

Quick, On-the-Spot Eye Rests

These mini breaks give your focusing system and tear film a fast reset without disrupting your day. They are easy to remember, easy to repeat, and surprisingly effective when stacked throughout the workday.

• 20-20-20 Rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. 

• Slow Blinking Set: Close your eyes gently, pause (with your eyes closed), open them slowly, and then repeat 10 times to re-wet the eyes’ surface. 

• Palming or Eyes-Closed Pause: Cover your closed eyes lightly with warm palms for 30 to 60 seconds. 

• Focus Change Drill: Alternate between focusing on a near target (12-16 inches away) and a distant target across the room 10 times. 

• Hydration Assist: Sip water and, if recommended by your eye doctor, use preservative-free artificial tears to rehydrate your eyes. 

Screen and Workplace Habits That Prevent Fatigue

Workplace eye wellness is an essential part of overall visual health. Small adjustments to distance, height, lighting, and text size reduce the strain on your eyes and neck to keep things clear. Set up your workspace once then maintain it, so your eyes do not fight glare, poor posture, or tiny fonts all day.

• Ergonomics: Place the monitor at arm’s length with the top at or slightly below eye level and align your chair and keyboard to relax the neck and shoulders. 

• Lighting: Use indirect, even light, reduce glare with shares or a matte screen filter, and add task lighting for printed materials. 

• Text and Contrast: Increase font size and line spacing, choose clear dark on light settings, and match screen brightness to the room. 

• Break Cadence: Set a timer for microbreaks and vary tasks to change viewing distance throughout the day. 

• Device Settings: Use night shift or warm colors in the evening and enable automatic brightness. 

Moisture and Comfort: Dry Eye-Focused Rest

Comfort improves when your tear film stays stable, and the best way to ensure this is by treating dry eye symptoms. Support eye moisture with better blinking, a comfortable environment, and simple care steps your eye doctor recommends. These changes help prevent the irritation that comes with long stretches of close-up work.

• Blink Awareness: Practice full blinks during reading and screen time. 

• Environment: Add a humidifier to your workspace and avoid direct airflow hitting your face from fans or vents. 

• Warm Compress and Lid Hygiene: Using preservative-free lubricating eye drops or laying a warm compress over your eyes can help stabilize the tear film. 

• Contact Lens Strategy: When possible, use daily disposable lenses, always keeping rewetting drops on hand and following your eye doctor’s recommended wear schedule. 

Outdoor and Off-Screen Recovery

Looking far away relaxes the focusing muscle and gives your visual system variety. Short outdoor breaks also add fresh air and natural light, which many people find refreshing for both the eyes and the mind.

• Distance Viewing: Take short walks or look toward the horizon to relax your focusing muscles. 

• Protection: Wear sunglasses for sun and wind, choosing wraparound styles when it’s breezy. 

• Visual Variety: Add activities that use intermediate and far vision to your work breaks. This could include gardening or light sports. 

Sleep and Circadian Hygiene

Quality sleep restores visual comfort, rebuilds the tear film, and prepares your eyes for the next day. Gentle evening routines and a calm sleep environment make a noticeable difference in how your eyes feel in the morning.

• Consistent Schedule: Aim for regular bed and wake times to restore comfort and tear film quality. 

• Digital Wind-Down: Reduce screen use to 1-2 hours before bed, shifting devices to warmer color temperatures to reduce strain. 

• Sleep Environment: Keep the room dark, quiet, and cool for better overnight recovery. 

When to See an Eye Doctor for Eye Strain

Most eye strain improves with short breaks, better lighting, and healthy sleep. However, if your symptoms persist beyond a week or two despite these changes, you should visit your eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam. Schedule your appointment sooner if you notice frequent or worsening headaches, constant dryness or burning, redness that does not resolve, increasing light sensitivity, or vision that blurs and never fully clears after rest. Seek urgent care the same day for sudden vision loss, a curtain or shower of new floaters and flashes, eye pain with nausea, or an injury to the eye.  

An eye exam can uncover issues that mimic simple eye strain like an uncorrected prescription, dry eye disease, binocular vision problems, or screen-related ergonomics that overwork your eyes. To make the visit more productive, bring your current glasses and contacts, a list of eye drops or medications you use, and notes about your work setup. Photos of your workspace lighting are also helpful, as well as a short symptom log noting when problems start and what improves them. With this information, your Clarkson Eyecare doctor can tailor a plan that restores comfort, often with small changes that make a big difference.