Eye-Saving Screen Colors

Lost World · Feb 25, 2011

I am starting to believe that the standard black text on white background is glaring and harmful to the eyes, at least when it's on a computer screen. I haven't had the same difficulties when reading books.

As of my next story I am changing screen color on MS Word to what I hope to be an eye-saving shade. Has anyone else done this? If so, what do you find to be the best background color? I'm thinking a deep shade of yellow, or perhaps a dark color like royal blue. I'm sticking with default black font, which stays black on lighter colors and turns white on darker backgrounds, because it's easy to change the background color back to standard white when making a submission, but it's a pain to change back into the standard black font from a custom color (needs to all be highlighted first, etc...)

Cyia · Feb 25, 2011

Have you ever checked out the Irlen Syndrome website? It's for people who have visual issues with "normal" text and allows you to test out different filters to see which colors work best for you.

I find green, brown and purple to be the best fit for me, but it's different for everyone.

If this does help, then rather than change your font and background color, you can either buy one of the Irlen filters and stick/tape it on your screen or do what I do, which is to go to Wal Mart, buy a package of colored plastic dividers for a 3-hole punched notebook and tape one of those to the screen (flush) and read through it.

Lost World · Feb 25, 2011

Cyia said:
Have you ever checked out the Irlen Syndrome website? It's for people who have visual issues with "normal" text and allows you to test out different filters to see which colors work best for you.

I find green, brown and purple to be the best fit for me, but it's different for everyone.

If this does help, then rather than change your font and background color, you can either buy one of the Irlen filters and stick/tape it on your screen or do what I do, which is to go to Wal Mart, buy a package of colored plastic dividers for a 3-hole punched notebook and tape one of those to the screen (flush) and read through it.

Interesting...can you give me an exact link to the page where I can test out these filters? All I could find on one of the sites was a small sampling of different background colors; the rest of the tests were questionaires to see if one has Irlen Syndrome(which I never knew existed).

Thanks a lot!

dpaterso · Feb 25, 2011

I changed my Windows background color to a nice gentle eggshell green, e.g. sample snapshot

This is default color in my browser, MS Word and most other applications, it helps with eyestrain problems a lot. What with green being the most gentle color on the eyes, I guess...

Might not suit you, but playing around with colors and trying them out to find a good match is relatively easy.

-Derek

Maryn · Feb 25, 2011

You know, I've had a lot of eyestrain problems in the last few years, and my computer task glasses help only a little. Maybe I need to be doing something like this instead. I spend a lot of hours at the computer, like many of you.

Maryn, whose left eye is bugging her as she types this

Edited to add: Duh. I meant to ask exactly how you change your Windows background color, so it impacts Word, your browser, and all that. I'm using XP Pro on this computer, Windows 7 on the laptop.

Deleted member 42 · Feb 25, 2011

One of the crucial things for people working with computers for hours to do is

Look Away From the Screen at LEAST every 15 minutes.

Your eyes are not designed to stare as we do working on a computer. Put something up at a different focal length so you can frequently look away and change your focal length.

We don't have this problem to the same extent with reading printed matters because we have to stop and change pages.

Also: Don't sit for more than 90 minutes without stretching and moving, preferably getting up out of your chair.

alleycat · Feb 25, 2011

Maryn said:
Edited to add: Duh. I meant to ask exactly how you change your Windows background color, so it impacts Word, your browser, and all that. I'm using XP Pro on this computer, Windows 7 on the laptop.

I'm not sure you can change all of them at once. You can change each one individually.

It's quite easy to change the background in Word, just go to Format > Background and choose whichever color you like. Try them all! ;-)

It's also easy to change your browser background color. What browser are you using? In Firefox go to Tools > Options > Content > Colors.

To change your desktop, go to the Control Panel and look at the Display options.

Stitch · Feb 25, 2011

Medievalist said:
Look Away From the Screen at LEAST every 15 minutes.

I'd like to echo this, as it's fairly important.

My optician always tell people to "work five, rest five". With that, he means work five minutes, then look away from the screen for five seconds, work five minutes, etc... When looking away from the screen, it's good to find the point furthest away from you and focus on that. This exercises the muscles in your eyes and prevents strain.

And a white computer screen is basically a big lightbulb that you're staring into, so changing background is definitely recommended.

Soft pastels are generally nice, I think. A soft beige or sepia background with dark brown text works well, also.

Damn, I need to remember to heed my own advise...

Jamesaritchie · Feb 25, 2011

Most people seem to favor a gray background and black text. Some like blue background with white text.

I'm old-fashioned and start writing on a computer using the original WordStar, so I like a black background with green text, which is what I use with Q10 and Word.

kuwisdelu · Feb 25, 2011

Black or dark gray text on pale blue is most pleasing to me eye.

I just use black on white, though.

Does Windows allow you to save various color profiles for your display?

I believe I mentioned this in another thread, but on a Mac, cmd+option+ctrl+8 can be useful for this kind of thing.

alleycat · Feb 25, 2011

kuwisdelu said:
Does Windows allow you to save various color profiles for your display?

A user can change and save most of the Windows display options (desktop, screen saver, appearance, etc.); Windows offers some options itself, or a user can create full customized display if they're so inclined.

Brutal Mustang · Feb 25, 2011

I do my manuscripts on a dark gray background, and use pale colored letters. Each character gets their own color, which helps me find things, and remember whose voice I'm writing.

When the manuscript is done, it gets turned white, with black letters.

Matera the Mad · Feb 25, 2011

I alternate between white text on a slate-gray background, and black on light tan. But I don't use Word for writing.

It is true that the white glare is very tiring to the eyes. A monitor is giving out light, not reflecting it like paper; this has an entirely different effect on the eyes.

The font that you use is also important. Sans-serif fonts are many times easier on the eyes for screen reading than serif fonts like Times New Eyestrain. And Courier is not fit for anything but page counting.

kuwisdelu · Feb 25, 2011

Brutal Mustang said:
Each character gets their own color, which helps me find things, and remember whose voice I'm writing.

Since we're in the tech help section, when I first read this, I thought you meant each letter character gets a unique color. My first thought was O_O

Lost World · Feb 25, 2011

Jamesaritchie said:
I'm old-fashioned and start writing on a computer using the original WordStar, so I like a black background with green text, which is what I use with Q10 and Word.

Brings me back to the stone age (college), but I've just set it up dark green on black and it's quite soothing on the eyes. I had forgotten...

kuwisdelu · Feb 25, 2011

Heh. Maybe I'm just not old enough to appreciate it. I tried to set my Terminal up with the green-on-black text a few years ago for the retro of it, but I didn't much like it after long coding sessions, and eventually changed it to the white/blue/violet on black I mostly use now.

Lost World · Feb 26, 2011

alleycat said:
It's also easy to change your browser background color. What browser are you using? In Firefox go to Tools > Options > Content > Colors.

Any idea how to do it in Internet Explorer?

alleycat · Feb 26, 2011

Lost World said:
Any idea how to do it in Internet Explorer?

Go to:

Tools (on the menubar) > Internet Options > General (tab) > Colors (button). Uncheck the "Use Windows Colors" box and then choose your own colors.

Jamesaritchie · Feb 26, 2011

kuwisdelu said:
Heh. Maybe I'm just not old enough to appreciate it. I tried to set my Terminal up with the green-on-black text a few years ago for the retro of it, but I didn't much like it after long coding sessions, and eventually changed it to the white/blue/violet on black I mostly use now.

Age may be a factor. Black backgrund and green text was the only choice I had, and so was WordStar. It all seemed rather miraculous back in '79.

Brutal Mustang · Feb 26, 2011

kuwisdelu said:
Since we're in the tech help section, when I first read this, I thought you meant each letter character gets a unique color. My first thought was O_O

Lost World · Feb 26, 2011

alleycat said:
Go to:

Tools (on the menubar) > Internet Options > General (tab) > Colors (button). Uncheck the "Use Windows Colors" box and then choose your own colors.

Thanks, it works...but you also have to go to accessibility under the general tab and check ignore colors specified on webpages, otherwise the web page's specified color overrides the browser color. That's how I got it to work, anyway...

alleycat · Feb 26, 2011

Lost World said:
Thanks, it works...but you also have to go to accessibility under the general tab and check ignore colors specified on webpages, otherwise the web page's specified color overrides the browser color. That's how I got it to work, anyway...

I'm glad it worked for you. It's been several years since I've used IE; I had to go look and see where the options were myself.

Thanks for the additional information.

Eye-Saving Screen Colors

He'll NEVER fit in!

Rewriting My Destiny

He'll NEVER fit in!

Patent pending

I Tried

Deleted member 42

Still around

what happens on FB, stays on ... wait

Revolutionize the World

Still around

Loves interplanetary chaos.

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

Revolutionize the World

He'll NEVER fit in!

Revolutionize the World

He'll NEVER fit in!

Still around

Loves interplanetary chaos.

He'll NEVER fit in!

Still around