After a marathon gaming session, your eyes can get sore and irritated and some people even get headaches. There are a lot of people out there that will tell you that means you’re gaming too much and you should try to cut back a bit. But if you’re an avid gamer, you probably don’t want to do that, and when you get immersed in your favorite gaming world, the hours can easily slip by without you noticing. The good news is, you can have the best of both worlds because there are ways to prevent eye strain when you are gaming, even for long sessions. These are some of the best ways to prevent eye strain while you game. 

The 20/20/20 Rule

The 20/20/20 rule is something that office workers use a lot, but it is also useful for gamers. Every 20 minutes, you should take a 20 second break from the screen and look at something that is around 20 feet away. This helps to refocus your eyes on something more distant and it can really help with eye strain. You don’t need to stick to it exactly, but you should pause the game every now and again to take a short break. If you are gaming online, you can look away from the screen between matches. 

Blue Light Blockers 

Eye strain is caused mainly by the blue light from the screen, and it is this blue light that also makes it difficult for people to get to sleep because it suppresses production of sleep hormones. You can get some great blue light blocker glasses that solve this issue. They will reduce eye strain when you are playing a marathon session, and after you eventually decide to switch off and go to bed, you will find it a lot easier to go to sleep. 

Get The Lighting Right 

Lighting is so important when you are gaming and if you get the lighting setup wrong, it will make eye strain a lot worse. You need the room to be evenly lit and avoid putting any light sources directly behind the screen. You should also avoid light that points directly at the screen because this will increase screen glare and eye strain a lot. Fluorescent lights should be avoided as well. As long as you play in a bright, evenly lit room, you can reduce eye strain a lot. 

Remember To Blink 

You might laugh at this suggestion but it’s important. When you play games, your eyes focus intensely on the screen and you do not blink as much as you normally would. This causes your eyes to dry out and get irritated and sore. It is difficult to control your blinking because it is an unconscious reaction, but you need to make an effort to ensure that you are blinking enough when you play games. 

If you try these simple tips, you can reduce eye strain a lot when you are gaming. However, if you still find that it is a problem, maybe you should try to shorten those big gaming marathons just a little bit.