Avoid:
Staring at the screen
Narrowing the visual field
Reduced breathing
A rigid body
Ways and Means:
* Sit so you can breathe deeply and easily. Support your back so you can be comfortably upright.
* Set up your screen so that you have plenty of space behind the monitor; you can face into a room or towards a window that doesn’t get direct sunlight, for example. This allows for a more 3D experience, which helps your eyes focus more easily. It allows your peripheral vision to be more stimulated, which in turn helps you not to over-focus or narrow either the depth or breadth of your visual field.
* Avoid staring because it reduces the movement of the eyes. When the eyes are not moving freely, we do not see as well. Staring in this sense is a mental state; we “park” the eyes while the mind has become visually disengaged. If the train of thought is useful, however, you can close your eyes or look away from the screen while you follow it.
* Blink frequently, about once every 5 seconds. When we concentrate we tend to blink less and we need the blinks to both cleanse and lubricate the eyes as well as to help us not to “stare” at the image.
* Be curious, look at the details on the screen rather than trying to take it all in at once. If it’s just a face, for example, look at the particulars of that face as if you were going to sketch it.
* Change your focal distance often; look out of a window or around the room every 5 minutes or so. If possible, look at objects that are at least 20 feet away. It is less distracting to the other person, when our eyes are aimed at a view seen just above the screen.
* Don’t sit too close. Avoid straining. I suggest you sit at about arms length from the screen. If you need glasses, figure out which ones are best for this situation, experiment. Wear the weakest prescription that allows you to see comfortably and encourages you to relax.
* In large gatherings it is often acceptable to stop your video for a few minutes. This allows you to get up, stretch, swing and/or palm to rest your eyes.
* When you get up and move about, let yourself notice the apparent motion of the furniture or the view out of the window. Again this will stimulate your peripheral vision and allow your eyes to relax and your mind to be more open.
* Move, wriggle in your chair. Avoid getting stuck in one position. Just like the eyes, the body needs to move to stay comfortable. Some people like gel pillows or gym balls because they encourage constant micro-adjustments and keep the body alert. Standing desks are also excellent for this reason.
* We all take in and process information differently. Some of us look upwards when we’re picturing something, at other times we look sideways or downwards as we access other areas of our brain. It is all normal and we need to both allow ourselves to look away from the screen, as well as allow others to do the same. In normal in-person conversations we often look around as we speak. On the screen it just becomes more obvious.