End Your Day Refreshed

Plenty of what you see on the Internet can be eyebrow-raising ("Vicious umbrella attacks woman," "Celeb gives baby normal name") but chances are that most of the time you're on your computer, you're not widening your eyes. You're actually squinting, consciously or not. The trouble? The muscles you use to squint are the same ones you use to blink. So when you're squinting, you're not blinking normally, and your eyes aren't getting the moisture they need.

In one study, scientists saw that just a tiny narrowing of the eye cut the number of blinks in half, from 15 to 7.5 times a minute. Full squints (eyes halfway closed) cut blinking to only 4 times a minute. When blinks are that few and far between, it's no wonder eyes wind up irritated and achy. That eyelids-are-sandpaper feel won't cause any long-lasting damage, but it's definitely not how you want to spend the day.

Solve the problems that squinting causes with the three Rs:

• Readjust. Your screen, that is, so your eyes look down and so there's no glare. Also adjust the brightness and contrast levels on your screen to sharpen readability.
• Refocus your eyes on something far away (even the UPS cutie or whatever is happening at the water cooler) for about 30 seconds every 15 minutes. Here's what you should look at for a quick burst of stress relief.
• Remove your whole body from your workstation now and then. The gold standard: Take at least one 10 minute walk every 90 minutes. (Bonus: Find out how lunch-hour exercise helps you love your job more, too.) It's good for your spine and wrists as well as your eyes. And blink once in a while, too, to help keep your eyes moist.

And here's what you should do in your car, at lunch, and at your desk to stop dry eyes.