How to Reduce Digital Eye Strain When Using a MacBook: 7 Tips
MacBooks are amazing for both work and personal use, and many people use their devices for both. But despite the numerous benefits of doing so, protecting your eyes when using screens for an extended period of time is a good idea.
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Digital eye strain is often caused by spending extended periods of time looking at a screen. However, considering that many people work or study from a computer, it’s sometimes unavoidable that you’ll spend a lot of time on your computer. Fortunately, you can still reduce the problem in several ways.
In this guide, we’ll provide you with a list of tips to help you protect your eyes when using a MacBook.
1. Sunlight Before Screen Light
As Dr. Andrew Huberman has mentioned before, going outside first thing in the morning – even when it’s cloudy – can have several benefits.
Even if you like to work early in the morning, adopting a rule where you get some fresh air and sunlight can help you set the right mindset for the day ahead. On top of that, you can use this time to think about what you want to accomplish – along with prioritizing your tasks accordingly.
When using your MacBook, consider waiting for around an hour after waking up before doing so. That way, you’ll give yourself enough time to wake up – and you might also find that you aren’t in distraction mode as much as would otherwise be the case.
2. Use the True Tone Feature
One of the handiest tools for reducing digital eye strain on your MacBook is the True Tone feature. Based on the level of light in your surroundings, this feature automatically adjusts the tone on your device. When you have True Tone switched on, you might notice that your MacBook screen looks slightly more yellow in some instances.
True Tone has been available on MacBooks for around five years now, and you can easily switch it on via your device’s System Settings. Here’s how to do that:
- Click on the Apple logo in the top left of your screen and select System Settings.
- Go to Displays in the toolbar on the left.
- Switch the True Tone toggle on when you see the Displays window appear.
3. Reduce the Brightness on Your Mac Manually
When many people use their MacBooks, they switch the screen brightness to the highest possible level. In some situations, doing so is helpful – but in almost every circumstance, you do not need to have your MacBook screen brightness at its peak.
If you have a MacBook with a touch bar, you can reduce your screen brightness by clicking on the sunshine icon and moving the slider to the left. Alternatively, some MacBooks have buttons on their keyboards for which you can use to adjust your brightness.
You can also reduce your brightness by going to your MacBook’s Control Center:
- Click on the Control Center icon in the top right.
- Look for the Display slider.
- Move the Display slider to the left until you’re happy with the screen brightness.
4. Reduce the Amount of Time You Spend on Your MacBook
Sometimes, the best way to reduce digital eye strain is to lower how long you spend on your MacBook. Although work and studying are by and large unavoidable, you can still organize your time efficiently to ensure that you aren’t spending longer than necessary looking at your screen.
You can use several tools to help you manage your time more effectively. For example, you can block out time in Google Calendar or Apple Calendar. And if you want to put strict blockers in place, you can always switch on Downtime on your device. Once you’ve done that, you have the ability to choose which apps and websites you’re allowed access to during these periods.
5. Set Your Own Night Shift Schedule
Night Shift has a handy option where you can automatically enable the feature from sunset to sunrise. But in some situations, those time frames might not be what you need. For example, if you live in Northern Europe, you’ll have to deal with summers where the sun rises long before you’re awake. Similarly, you might have sunsets that are well after you fall asleep.
While an automatic Night Shift schedule makes sense during the darker months of the year, you can set your own during the brighter ones. How you adjust your settings depends on your individual needs, but something like 07:00 to 18:00 or 19:00 is a good starting point.
To set your own Night Shift schedule on a MacBook, follow these steps:
1. Open System Settings and go to Display.
2. At the bottom of the next window, you’ll see a button called Night Shift. Click on this.
3. Expand the dropdown menu next to Schedule. Here, you’ll need to choose the option titled Custom.
4. Choose the time period for which you want your MacBook to enable Night Shift. You can also pick how warm you want the tone on your screen to be when the feature is switched on.
5. Hit Done when you’re finished.
6. Use Automatic Brightness Adjustments
In addition to manually adjusting your brightness, you can set your MacBook to automatically change how light or dark your screen is. Follow these instructions to do that:
- Go to System Settings > Display.
- Under Brightness, you’ll see another option called Automatically adjust brightness. Toggle the switch on.
After completing the steps listed above, your changes should take immediate effect.
7. Take Regular Breaks
Taking regular breaks is age-old advice, but it has a lot of legitimacy to it. Besides giving your eyes a chance to rest, taking regular breaks can also help you stay focused on tasks for longer – and ultimately complete them sooner.
How often your screen breaks last depends on your personal working style. Experiment with longer and shorter bursts of work to see which options you prefer.
Use These Steps to Reduce Digital Eye Strain When Using Your MacBook
Many technology users, including those with MacBooks, suffer from digital eye strain. Thankfully, setting boundaries and reducing your personal risk has become much easier. You’ll find several handy tools on your device that can help, such as True Tone and automatic brightness shifting.
In addition to the tools you have on your computer, you can also try other simple tactics – such as regularly taking breaks. You might need to experiment a little, but you can start with the tips we’ve given you in this guide.
Danny is a freelance writer who has been using Apple products for over a decade. He’s written for some of the largest technology publications on the web and previously worked as an in-house writer before carving his own route. Danny grew up in the UK, but now writes about tech from his Scandinavian base.
