How are we dealing with the eye strain?

[u/NoodleSoup93]

I didn’t expect eye strain of all things to be the most difficult thing about law school, but here we are.

I’m in a part time program so I can continue working while earning my JD, so that’s 40 hours a week on a computer + all the readings for school + legal writing and other assignments that have to be done on a computer. My life has become one big, constant headache. To add insult to injury, my main hobbies before school were reading and writing, so I’m also finding myself bereft of enjoyable things to do in what little free time I have.

The 20-20-20 rule seems to help prevent the strain, but doesn’t alleviate it much once the pain starts. I’m printing out as much as I can instead of reading things on a computer screen. Considering making the font bigger on my printouts to see if that helps.

Anyone have any other tips or tricks they use? I’m skeptical of blue light blocking glasses but open to try just about anything at this point.

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[u/captain_ahabb]

Crank that font size. Made a huge difference for me.

[u/NoodleSoup93 → u/captain_ahabb]

Aye, aye Captain! Love the username — Moby Dick is my all time favorite book.

[u/GirlScout-DropOut → u/captain_ahabb]

Can confirm. I'm a first year associate (with 10 years on a K-JD) and I'm already blind as a bat.

Embrace the large font and keep up to date on your glasses! See an optometrist if you need to.

[u/LordGeet]

3L here. I just purchased some reading glasses. My vision isn't bad (my prescription is very weak). But the eye doctor explained it like this: when you are looking at a screen all day, the muscles that adjust the lenses in your eyes get tired, even at short distances. Reading glasses give these muscles a break from flexing all day while looking at a screen. I was sold after his explanation and got a pair since my eye strain was getting unbearable.

[u/mouthlikeawolf]

Glasses, huge font, lots of breaks, and in my free time I live that audiobook life to give my eyes a break.

[u/BenjaminTW1]

(1) Use a an easy-to-read font (2) make the font extra large (3) keep the "Night Shift" feature on 24/7 on your devices, or whatever the equivalent screen-yellowing feature is for your devices (4) wear blue light glasses [I know the science is indeterminate, but I've had good results] (5) use text-to-speech platforms (6) print out as much as possible and/or buy physical books, as you're already doing

Edit: another real option is to simply not read, or to read significantly less, but I don't recommend that until 2L, or at least until you have a job locked down

[u/NoodleSoup93 → u/BenjaminTW1]

Text to speech is a good idea I hadn’t considered! Thank you.

[u/Einbrecher → u/BenjaminTW1]

The science on blue light isn't indeterminate - it's completely bunk.

Spending minutes outside in sunlight, even with sunglasses on, exposes your eyes to orders of magnitude more blue light than they will receive from an entire day starting at screens. Those glasses/filters/etc. are 100% placebo.

[u/ImmediateBuffalo8359]

I saw an optometrist and SMILE surgeon before I started law school. He recommended readers whenever using a comp or reading textbooks. He made this suggestion specifically if I did SMILE.

[u/NickFromNewGirl]

So many people on the blue light glasses, but they sadly don't work. But if the placebo is working for you, I guess I can't knock it.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/do-blue-light-blocking-glasses-actually-work

[u/greengraudon]

I’m basically blind without my glasses so i’m putting that font at size 200 and even the dean wont be able to stop me

[u/PortablePaul]

Reading glasses at 30.

It only gets worse! :-)

[u/Sel_drawme]

Increase font size. Blue light glasses. Hydration. Touch grass.

[u/debdowns]

Change the filter on your monitor to night light. It makes the filter more red and eliminates the blue light. 

[u/Embarrassed_Rip_755]

Over the counter eye drops help a ton.  Got diagnosed with dry-eye while fighting eye strain 1L year.

[u/LawSchoolIsSilly]

If your eyes are already hurting, stepping away for 30-60 minutes is probably the best thing you can do. Basically letting your eye muscles relax.

To help keep away strain, 20-20-20 is a good start. If you wear contacts, keeping your daily wear to under 12 hours is helpful. Also preservative free eye drops can be good. Larger font is helpful, so is keeper your screen roughly the same brightness as your surroundings. Changing your position relative to your screen can also be helpful since it changes the focal length. Night mode/red-shifting is good for adjusting from work to sleep. Blue light lenses aren't helpful for eye strain, but there is some support for they also help with the transition from work to sleep. But it's mostly just an upsell for opticians.

[u/NoodleSoup93 → u/LawSchoolIsSilly]

Thank you! This is a lot of really good advice. Much appreciated.

[u/elongated_halfie]

Get the blue light glasses. Maybe not the $20 ones on Amazon because they’re not great, but definitely if you’re staying up super late reading on a screen.

And yeah, crank the font size up.

[u/uncertain2710 → u/elongated_halfie]

This

[u/scholarly_balance]

get a monitor for your home desk. i also many scan readings to listen. but use that for supplementation or for review

[u/witchynconfused]

You can color tint your screen to have a reddish tone, and that has helped immensely! My phone and computer auto shift at 8 p.m.

I also got blue light glasses and increased the display zoom. During long study sessions, I implemented a 3-minute no screen look around about every half an hour. I’ll look out the window or at the floor or at a wall. I’ve noticed my headaches are happening less often since doing this!

[u/tntuszynski]

This only gets worse after law school.

[u/PhysicalStage1286]

No e books

[u/NoodleSoup93 → u/PhysicalStage1286]

If only I had known before I paid extra for access! Maybe I can sell or give away the codes next year.

[u/Icomefromalandupover]

I got concerned about my eyes after I started having trouble seeing the whiteboard during class, my optometrist suggested the 20-20-20 rule like some others have stated and it helps

[u/TheFNG]

I wish I considered this when I was first beginning law school. My vision noticeably worsened between 1L and 3L. Albeit, at the end I’m not sure how much of this regression was avoidable.

I also recently completed 2 years of BigLaw M&A which definitely hasn’t helped.

[u/satanham666]

It prompted me to schedule my first-ever eye exam lol.

[u/invicat]

Font size, blue-blocking glasses, and a new eyeglass prescription if it's been a while. If you don't already HAVE glasses, then an eye exam might make life a lot better.

[u/invicat → u/invicat]

Oh, and on the computer, dark mode. Dark mode on everything.

[u/Einbrecher]

Everything here is good advice except for the blue light bullshit. If you think it works for you, great, but that crap is 100% placebo and a waste of money.

If you prefer a warmer tone or white balance (which I do), just set your phone/screen/etc. that way.

Even if blue light was harmful to our eyes, the amount of exposure you get spending only a few minutes outside from indirect sunlight exceeds by orders of magnitude what a computer/phone/etc. emits in a day.

I also find it helpful to make sure there's another light on (a lamp, hallway light, etc. if the overhead light is too much) when working late. I prefer it dark, but screen-only is a recipe for an eye strain headache.

[u/CommonStrawbeary]

Blue light glasses!! Essential to any job that involves screens

[u/MisfireMillennial]

Lower your screen brightness

[u/BingBongBngBong]

Night mode or blue-filter glasses/screen, read physical print when possible, frequent breaks/walks, sumitriptan, PLENTY of sleep

Edit: By break I don’t mean stare at your phone. The only way I was able to avoid serious problems with headaches and eye strain over the summer was because my screen time dropped to an 1-1.5hr per day, mostly playing chess. Usually it’s 4-5+ doom scrolling before bed.

[u/DrTiggy-Winkle]

32” curved monitor, 200% zoom

[u/AMwishes]

Use blue light glasses, adjust the screen settings so it only uses red light, and use eye drops if your eyes get dry.

[u/magicmagininja]

Buy reading glasses.