Working from home has become a permanent reality for millions of Australians. While home offices offer flexibility and comfort, they also present unique challenges for eye health. Unlike corporate offices, which often have standardised ergonomic setups, home workspaces vary widely in quality. This guide will help you create a home office environment that protects your eyes and supports comfortable, productive work.
Choosing the Right Location
The foundation of an eye-friendly home office begins with where you set up. If you have options, consider these factors when selecting your workspace location:
Natural Light Considerations
Natural light is generally preferable to artificial light for overall wellbeing, but it requires careful management for screen work. Avoid placing your desk directly facing windows—this creates glare on your screen and forces your eyes to constantly adjust between the bright window and darker screen content.
Ideally, position your desk perpendicular to windows so natural light comes from the side. This provides ambient illumination without direct glare. North-facing windows (in Australia) offer the most consistent light throughout the day, while east and west-facing windows may require blinds to manage morning or afternoon sun.
The optimal home office position has natural light coming from your left side (if you're right-handed) or right side (if you're left-handed). This reduces shadows cast by your writing hand and provides even illumination without screen glare.
Room Size and Viewing Distance
Ensure the space allows proper viewing distance from your screen—approximately 50-70cm. A cramped corner may force you to sit too close to your monitor, increasing eye strain. If space is limited, consider a smaller monitor or a monitor arm that allows flexible positioning.
Mastering Your Lighting Setup
Lighting is perhaps the single most important factor in an eye-friendly workspace. Poor lighting is responsible for a significant portion of home office eye strain.
Ambient Lighting
Your room's general lighting should be softer than typical office overhead lighting—about half the brightness. Harsh overhead fluorescent-style lighting creates glare and can contribute to eye fatigue. Consider these alternatives:
- Multiple smaller light sources rather than one bright overhead light
- Dimmable LED panels that allow brightness adjustment
- Floor lamps with diffused light that illuminate the room without harsh spots
Task Lighting
A dedicated desk lamp provides focused light for reading documents and reduces contrast between your screen and immediate surroundings. Look for lamps with adjustable brightness and colour temperature. Warmer light (lower colour temperature) is often more comfortable in the evening, while cooler light can help maintain alertness during the day.
Key Takeaway
- Ambient lighting should be approximately half typical office brightness
- Position lights to avoid glare on your screen
- Bias lighting behind your monitor reduces eye strain significantly
- Adjustable, dimmable lighting allows you to adapt to changing conditions
Bias Lighting
One of the most effective eye comfort upgrades is adding bias lighting—a soft light placed behind your monitor. This reduces the contrast between your bright screen and dark surroundings, easing the strain on your eyes. LED light strips designed for this purpose are inexpensive and easy to install. Look for strips with neutral white light (around 6500K colour temperature) to avoid colour distortion.
Optimising Your Monitor Setup
Position and Height
The top of your monitor should be at or slightly below eye level when you're sitting in your normal working position. This allows you to look slightly downward at the screen, which is the most comfortable and natural viewing angle. It also reduces the exposed surface area of your eyes, helping to minimise tear evaporation and dry eye symptoms.
Distance matters too. Your screen should be approximately arm's length away—about 50-70cm. If you find yourself leaning forward to read text, increase font size or use a larger monitor rather than moving closer.
Monitor Settings
Many people never adjust their monitor's default settings, missing easy improvements:
- Brightness: Match screen brightness to your environment. Your monitor shouldn't look like a light source, nor should it appear dim and washed out.
- Contrast: Higher contrast makes text easier to read and reduces focusing effort.
- Colour temperature: Enable built-in night mode features that shift toward warmer colours in the evening.
- Text size: Increase default font size until reading feels effortless.
Many monitors have preset modes for different activities. Look for a "reading" or "low blue light" mode in your monitor's settings menu. These presets often provide good starting points for comfortable all-day viewing.
Multiple Monitors
If you use multiple monitors, position your primary screen directly in front of you at the correct height and distance. Secondary monitors should be at the same height and positioned at a slight angle. Avoid setups that require constant head turning or looking up/down between screens, as these create neck strain and awkward viewing angles.
Environmental Factors
Humidity
Dry air exacerbates eye strain and dry eye symptoms. Home heating and air conditioning reduce indoor humidity, often more significantly than in office buildings with managed HVAC systems. Consider a desktop humidifier for your workspace, particularly during winter months or if you run air conditioning regularly. Aim for 40-60% relative humidity.
Air Quality and Circulation
Position your workspace away from direct airflow from heaters, air conditioners, or fans. Air blowing across your face accelerates tear evaporation and worsens dry eye symptoms. If you can't avoid airflow, use a desk shield or adjust vent directions.
Temperature
Comfortable working temperature varies individually but typically falls between 20-24°C. Overheated rooms can contribute to fatigue and eye dryness. Ensure you can regulate temperature in your workspace.
Ergonomic Integration
Eye health connects directly to overall posture and workstation ergonomics. Poor posture often results in awkward viewing angles that strain your eyes.
Chair Height and Position
Your chair height should allow your feet to rest flat on the floor (or on a footrest) with your thighs approximately parallel to the ground. This foundation supports proper spine alignment, which in turn supports proper head position for comfortable screen viewing.
Desk Height
Your desk should allow your forearms to rest parallel to the floor when typing, with shoulders relaxed. If your desk is too high, you may hunch your shoulders and crane your neck, affecting your eye-to-screen relationship.
Laptops are ergonomically problematic because the screen and keyboard are connected. For extended use, connect an external keyboard and mouse, then elevate the laptop to proper screen height. Alternatively, use an external monitor at the correct position.
Supporting Tools and Accessories
Blue Light Glasses
Keep a pair of blue light glasses at your home office for use during screen work. Clear or lightly tinted lenses with 30-50% blue light blocking are suitable for daytime use without significantly affecting colour perception.
Artificial Tears
Store preservative-free artificial tears at your desk. Apply proactively every few hours during intensive screen work, or whenever you notice dryness.
Timer or Break Reminder
Without the natural interruptions of an office environment—colleagues stopping by, meetings in different rooms—home workers often sit longer without breaks. Use a timer app or browser extension to remind you to take regular screen breaks following the 20-20-20 rule.
Creating Sustainable Habits
The perfect setup means nothing if you don't use it correctly. Build these habits into your work-from-home routine:
- Begin each day by adjusting blinds for optimal natural light
- Check your posture and screen position when you sit down
- Take genuine breaks—stand, stretch, and look away from screens
- End your workday at a consistent time to give your eyes rest
- Maintain clear boundaries between work and personal screen time
Your home office is uniquely yours to optimise. Unlike a corporate office with standardised furniture and lighting, you have complete control over every element of your workspace. Take advantage of this by creating an environment that genuinely supports your eye health and overall wellbeing. The time and modest investment required to set up an eye-friendly home office pays dividends in comfort, productivity, and long-term vision health.