Screen Comfort Calculator: Dry-Eye Break Planner
Screen-work wellbeing tool
Screen Comfort & Dry-Eye Break Planner
Build a more comfortable screen routine using your work pattern, room conditions and symptoms. This is not a dry-eye diagnosis or a substitute for an eye examination.
Plan your screen-comfort routine
A simple 20-20-20 style routine
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| About every 20 minutes | Look at something far away for around 20 seconds. Relax your focus and blink normally. |
| Every 45–60 minutes | Stand up, move for a couple of minutes and look away from near work. |
| At the start of the day | Place the screen roughly an arm’s length away, reduce glare and avoid a direct fan or heater to the face. |
| When symptoms start | Pause rather than forcing through discomfort. Check screen brightness, lighting, airflow and whether you need an eye test. |
How to use a screen-comfort plan
This tool uses everyday contributors to screen discomfort to give a practical routine. It does not label a person as having dry eye, digital eye strain or another condition. The point is to make the working environment a little kinder: avoid direct moving air, reduce glare, make text easy to read and take deliberate vision breaks before discomfort becomes the signal.
The 20-20-20 rule is easy to remember, but it is a prompt rather than a medical treatment. If the rule interrupts deep work too often, use it as a lighter visual reset and keep a longer movement break every hour. Small changes that happen most days are generally more useful than an elaborate set-up that is abandoned after two days.
Persistent gritty, sore, red or blurred eyes deserve a proper assessment. Contact lenses, medicines, allergies, eyelid conditions, autoimmune disease and other factors can contribute to dry-eye symptoms. If you wear contact lenses and develop pain, redness or vision change, remove them if advised by your optometrist and seek urgent professional advice.
Screen comfort FAQs
Can a screen cause dry eye?
Screen work can contribute to symptoms by changing blink behaviour and encouraging long, close-focus sessions. It is not the only possible cause of dry eyes.
Does blue-light filtering cure eye strain?
No single setting cures eye discomfort. Screen distance, glare, text size, breaks, airflow and an up-to-date prescription may all be more relevant.
Should I use eye drops?
A pharmacist or optometrist can advise on suitable lubricating drops. Seek professional advice if symptoms are persistent, severe or associated with pain, redness or a change in vision.
Last reviewed: September 2026. Further reading: NHS: dry eyes and College of Optometrists guidance. General educational information only; not medical advice.
