Learn2.com/ February 11, 2009, 10:50 PM

Step Three

Step 3: Consider Your Monitor
There is no substitute for a good monitor. You'll be staring at this thing for hours at a time, so insist on the following features:

The monitor should have a "dot pitch" of no greater than .28 for 17 inch or smaller monitors, .30 for monitors larger than that.
The monitor should not appear to flicker. If it flickers, then it probably doesn't have a high enough 'vertical refresh rate.' A vertical refresh rate of at least 68 hertz (often abbreviated as Hz) is generally sufficient. To get a good sense of a monitor's flicker rate, try looking at it obliquely, out of the corners of your eyes.
The monitor should be sufficiently bright, and should not distort at the edges.
The monitor should have an adjustable angle, so that you can look directly at it, without craning your neck.

Tips:
Screen filters (the polarized kind that attach to the monitor)
are great for just about everyone except graphic artists (who need the truest color). They darken the overall look of your monitor, but do you really need vibrating reds and electric blues?

Take a break every once in a while. Walk around the office and look out the window, focusing on distant objects. The objective is to stretch your muscles and exercise your eyes.