Screen Time Tips Every Developer Should Know
Screen Time Tips Every Developer Should Know
If you’re a developer, you probably spend 8-12+ hours a day staring at screens. Multiple monitors, dark IDEs, tiny fonts, intense focus—it’s a recipe for serious eye strain. And unlike other professions, your work demands that kind of sustained visual concentration.
I built Blinky because I was experiencing this exact problem. As a developer myself, I found my eyes getting tired, dry, and strained during long coding sessions. I knew something had to change.
Here’s what I’ve learned about protecting your eyes while maintaining productivity as a developer.
Why Developers Are Especially At Risk
Deep Focus Sessions
Coding requires intense concentration. When you’re debugging, solving complex problems, or in flow state, you can go hours without looking away from your screen. During these deep work sessions, your blink rate drops dramatically—sometimes by 70% or more.
Multiple Monitors
Many developers use 2-3 monitors. While this boosts productivity, it also means more screen surface area, more brightness exposure, and more eye movement between different focal points.
Dark Themes
Dark themes are popular in development (and I use them too), but they come with tradeoffs. While dark themes reduce overall brightness, they create high contrast that can cause eye strain in bright environments.
Small Fonts and Dense Information
Code is information-dense. Small fonts, syntax highlighting, multiple windows—your eyes are constantly focusing on fine details, which increases visual fatigue.
Irregular Hours
Many developers work late nights or odd hours, often in poorly lit environments. This disrupts circadian rhythms and increases eye strain.
Practical Tips for Healthier Screen Time
1. Optimize Your IDE Settings
Font Size: If you’re squinting, your font is too small. Increase it. Seriously. Your eyes shouldn’t work that hard.
Color Scheme: Experiment with different themes. Some people prefer dark, others prefer light, some like medium-contrast options. There’s no universal “best”—use what’s comfortable for your eyes.
Line Spacing: Increase line height slightly to reduce visual density and make code easier to scan.
Zoom Level: Don’t be afraid to zoom in. Your monitor has plenty of pixels—use them.
2. Position Your Monitors Correctly
Distance: Monitors should be 20-26 inches from your eyes. If you’re leaning forward to read, they’re too far or the font is too small.
Angle: The top of your primary monitor should be at or slightly below eye level. You should look slightly down at your screen, not up.
Multiple Monitors: Arrange them in an arc, all equidistant from your eyes. Your primary monitor should be directly in front of you.
3. Control Your Lighting
Avoid Glare: Position monitors perpendicular to windows. Use blinds or curtains to control natural light.
Bias Lighting: Put a soft light source behind your monitor to reduce contrast between screen and environment. This dramatically reduces eye strain.
Match Brightness: Your screen brightness should roughly match your environment. Don’t use a blazing-bright screen in a dark room.
4. Build Break Habits Into Your Workflow
Use the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of focused work, 5-minute break. Every fourth break is longer (15-30 minutes). This naturally builds screen breaks into your day.
Test-Driven Development (TDD): The red-green-refactor cycle creates natural micro-breaks as you switch between writing tests and implementation.
Code Review Breaks: After finishing a feature, step away before reviewing. Fresh eyes catch more bugs—literally.
Compile Time = Eye Break Time: When your code is compiling or building, look away from the screen. Stretch, blink intentionally, look out a window.
5. Practice the 20-20-20 Rule
Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This is the single most effective exercise for reducing eye strain.
Set a timer. Put a sticky note on your monitor. Use an app reminder. Whatever it takes—make this a habit.
6. Monitor Your Blink Rate
This is why I created Blinky. When you’re deep in code, you don’t realize how little you’re blinking. Tracking your blink rate creates awareness, and awareness leads to better habits.
Start a Blinky session when you begin coding. Glance at it occasionally to see your real-time blink rate. If it’s low, make a conscious effort to blink more, or take a short break.
7. Stay Hydrated
Keep water at your desk. Drink throughout the day. Dehydration worsens dry eye symptoms, and caffeine (which developers consume in large quantities) is a diuretic that can dehydrate you.
8. Use Artificial Tears if Needed
If you experience persistent dry eyes, lubricating eye drops can help. Get preservative-free drops and use them throughout the day. Talk to an eye doctor for recommendations.
9. Blue Light Considerations
The jury is still out on blue light and eye strain, but many developers find blue light filtering helpful, especially for evening coding sessions. Try:
- Night mode on your OS (Night Shift on macOS, Night Light on Windows)
- Blue light filtering glasses
- Warmer color temperatures on your monitors
10. Get Regular Eye Exams
If you spend 40+ hours a week staring at screens, you should have annual eye exams. Catch problems early before they become serious.
The Long-Term Perspective
You’re going to be a developer for years, maybe decades. That’s potentially hundreds of thousands of hours of screen time. Eye health isn’t just about comfort today—it’s about preserving your vision for your entire career.
Taking care of your eyes isn’t a productivity tax. It’s a productivity investment. Tired, strained eyes lead to:
- More bugs
- Slower coding
- Headaches
- Reduced focus
- Burnout
Healthy eyes lead to:
- Better concentration
- Longer productive sessions
- Higher code quality
- Greater career longevity
Tools That Help
I built Blinky specifically for people like us—developers who spend all day coding and want a simple way to maintain eye health awareness. It’s:
- Privacy-focused: All processing happens on your device
- Minimal: Doesn’t interrupt your workflow
- Session-based: Track when you need it, not constantly
- Honest: Created by a developer, for developers
But whether you use Blinky or not, the important thing is to take your eye health seriously. Your eyes are essential to your work and your quality of life.
Protect them.
Built by a developer, for developers. Download Blinky and start tracking your eye health during coding sessions.