You get to work, grab your morning cup of much needed coffee, and sit and your desk ready to start your productive day at work. Minute after minute, hour after hour, you may start to excessively blink or squint at your computer screen attempting to filter out the light that’s causing you discomfort.
As time goes on, your productivity tanks and your mood becomes unstable.
Next thing you know, you scream at Janice next to the water cooler because she’s talking too loud.
We’ve all been there.
Whether you’re aware of it or not, sometimes what’s causing you distress are the fluorescent lights above your head.
Unfortunately, fluorescent lighting is extremely prevalent and usually very hard to avoid. “Those with hypersensitive photoreceptor cells may experience discomfort in locations with harsh fluorescent lighting such as big box stores, schools, and offices or from car headlights and sunlight reflecting off of water,” says Dr. Bradley Katz, neurophthamologist and co-founder of Axon Optics.”
How to Block Fluorescent Lights at Work
Create a Barrier
By draping fabric over the walls of your cubical, you can put a barrier between you and the light—allowing much less to be reflected off your workspace. Obviously, this isn’t the ideal situation for most, since it looks quite silly. However, it’s a very quick fix, so it may be worth it to see if it helps before you invest in something long-term.
Screen Guards
Your computer monitor is very reflective, so the light from above could be reflecting off your screen and shine directly into your eyes. Using a glare screen or shading device over your monitor could reduce glare.
Dimmers
Some lights have the ability to be slightly dimmed. Dimming lights so that they aren’t so intense and blinding might help.
Move Locations
Sometimes, it may be worth it to request you be moved to another desk that has much more natural lighting, reducing your reliance on fluorescent light.
Fl-41 Glasses
Much different from sunglasses or computer glasses, FL-41 glasses are made for people who have extreme light sensitivity. They work by filtering out certain types of lights from reaching your eyeballs.