Robin Gierse
Inline Skater

Today I learned

Safe Eyes

2 min read

Today I learned: About Safe Eyes.

I actually have been using it for half a year now and while it gets annoying from time to time, I still like the idea.

What does it do?

This simple tool helps you to protect your eyes against eye strain by interrupting your staring at the screen more or less - rather less actually - subtle.

Why do I share this?

Many people all over the world work in front of some sort of display and if you are like me, you also love to spend time in front of those in your free time. And that puts a heavy burden on your eyes. I got blue light filtering glasses a year ago, and they helped my eyes as well as software based blue light filters, like GNOME's built-in functionality. But that still does not keep you from staring at your screen while barely moving your eyes. And this is where Safe Eyes comes to the rescue.

How does it work?

The idea is simple: After a certain interval you get a warning, that a break is coming up and ten seconds later the screen goes black and prints a suggestion how to relax your eyes. The suggestions range from "Focus on a point in the distance" over "Close your eyes" to "Roll your eyes clockwise". All of this comes with acoustic signals as well, so do not worry to miss the end of a break. The suggestions as well as the timing are configurable, like almost every aspect of this tool.

Wrapping up

This might just be the eye health tool you have been looking for for years. Or it gets on your nerves within the first two hours, and you uninstall it right away. But I encourage you to give it a try, your eyes might thank you for it.