Glare

Glare is a difficult lighting problem to eliminate. Direct glare occurs when a light source (the sun, overhead lights, etc.) enters the eye directly. Reflective glare occurs when a light source bounces off a surface (walls, the monitor, etc.) then enters the eye. Both can cause discomfort and interfere with a visual task. Even a low level glare can cause enough eyestrain to impair your performance, but you can control glare:

• Turn off some lights. If you are viewing the monitor screen by itself, you can reduce glare (and you will not strain your eyes) by turning off all other lights and reading by the light emitted from the screen.
• Make sure your workstation has matte or non-glare surfaces.
• Install blinds on windows near your computer.
• Install grid or parabolic diffusers on overhead lights to soften the light.
• Adjust brightness and contrast on your display screen.
• Cover the screen with glare filters.
• Tilt your monitor.
• Rearrange the workstation so you are at a reasonable distance from the window and not directly below overhead lights.
• Wear medium to dark clothing.

Hood and Filters

• Hoods offer a simple and inexpensive solution to screen glare. Although available from manufacturers, they can be easily constructed out of cardboard and tape - black cardboard with a matte finish is best.
• Glare filters are made of either a hard glass or plastic or a loosely woven mesh. Most filters increase your screen's contrast by reducing the reflected glare more than the emitted light.

  - Hard filters reduce glare through anti-reflective coatings and tint or polarization application. Because the attachment of a hard filter often leaves a gap between the filter and the screen, they trap dust, and some create more reflection problems than they solve. Generally, the closer they are mounted to the screen, the better.

  - Mesh filters are particularly effective when there is bright light reflecting directly off the screen. Unfortunately, they also partially obscure the screen image.

You may be concerned about electromagnetic radiation that is emitted from your computer monitor. This should put your mind at ease:

• In 1996, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences reported that there was "no conclusive evidence that electromagnetic fields (EMF) play a role in development of cancer, reproductive, and developmental abnormalities or learning and behavioral problems".
• Further, the two types of electromagnetic radiation - high frequency and low frequency radiation - produce NO hazardous levels of radiation and are NOT a health hazard.

Computer monitors produce electrostatic fields. As a result, dust particles are concentrated near the screen and may cause allergic reactions in some people.

Flat panel screens do not produce elevated magnetic fields or static electric fields, since there is no high voltage tube. Flat panels are gradually replacing the tube technology.

Source: Creating the Ideal Computer Workstation: A Step-by-Step Guide - United States Department of Defense, June, 2000.