Look Far Away
The 20-20-20 break eye doctors keep prescribing — look far, and feel the screen-tension melt. Every 20 minutes of screen work, look at something about 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds. Paussible makes it a pause: the screen dims, the timer runs, and your focusing muscles finally let go of the close-up lock they've been holding.
In the app
Sixty seconds, or longer if the eyes ask:
- Start the pause — the screen dims so it stops being the thing you look at
- Find the farthest thing in view: out a window, down a corridor, up a hill
- Let the gaze rest there; blinking is encouraged and uncounted
When to reach for it
- The end-of-day ache behind the eyes
- Any two-hour stretch of documents, code, or doom
- Pairs beautifully with Step Outside when the far thing can be a sky
Try it here first
The 20-20-20 rhythm runs on this website as a free timer: the 20-20-20 eye-break tool.
The honest part
20-20-20 is the standard guidance from ophthalmology bodies including the American Academy of Ophthalmology for digital eye strain. It doesn't cure anything; it relieves the strain of sustained near focus, which is exactly what it says on the tin.
Guidance: American Academy of Ophthalmology, "Computers, Digital Devices and Eye Strain" (20-20-20 rule). aao.org