Protect Yourself From Eyestrain With Ergonomic Positioning Of Your Computer Monitor

Writen by Paul Holstein

Take this little home test: Hold your finger at arm's length. Bring it slowly towards your nose, following it with your eyes. Notice that the closer your finger comes, the more eyestrain you feel. That's because you are forcing your eyes to accommodate (change focus) and converge (eyes turning inward to prevent double vision) at a rapid pace.

One of the main reasons for computer-related eyestrain (and back strain) is the proximity of your computer monitor. Thus, it seems easy to understand that, if having the monitor too close contributes to the problem, one of the solutions is to place it farther away (at least 25 inches).

Another main reason for computer-related eyestrain is the angle at which you view your monitor. The latest research suggests that a downward gaze angle (at least 15 degrees) improves our ability to accommodate and converge. Reducing those stresses will reduce the likelihood of eyestrain.

But how can we position our monitors to the optimal position?

As more and more of us upgrade to flat screen monitors, our options have become plentiful, easy to install, and certainly worth every ounce of pain we avoid.

If you're like me and not all that handy, the MOView LCD Monitor Arm (from $119.99, available at Cableorganizer.com) is the perfect choice. Made of quality, durable construction, it's easily installed, attaching quickly to any desk with the included C-clamp. (There's also an optional grommet hole mount, if your desk comes with a grommet.)

Raising a flat panel monitor above work surface, the MOView LCD Monitor Arm enables fingertip adjustment of monitor height and position. It can accommodate screens up to 21 inches and provides infinite viewing angles, which allow you to precisely position how far away your screen is, what angle you're viewing it at, and the tilt of the monitor. An additional, non-ergonomic benefit is that it frees desk space, and looks great, hiding monitor cables from sight with the integrated cord management system.

There's even a double monitor version, with two completely independent, fully articulating arms, allowing you to place two monitors in any position—side by side, stacked one on top of another, or facing in two separate directions.

If you use your computer to view DVDs or episodes of Lost that you downloaded from iTunes, you may want to mount your monitor on the wall for optimal viewing. MOView offers a wall mount (from $49.99; also available at Cableorganizer.com) that comes in two flavors: a flush wall mount and a fully articulating wall mount.

Both attach quickly to a wall stud to allow for maximum space saving, and allow for larger monitors—up to 30 inches. These units are self-leveling, saving you from having to guess whether the monitor is lined-up straight. The MOView wall mount also allows for 360 degrees of rotation, allowing you to align the monitor vertically or horizontally.

MOView's arms and mounts were clearly designed for style-conscious commercial and home office computer users who understand that computing can be done both in comfort and in style—and without all that eyestrain.

Paul Holstein and http://CableOrganizer.com promote wire and cable organization and management for a better lifestyle.