Eye-Friendly Habits and Accessories Every Photo Editor Needs for Comfortable Editing and Creating

Editing is a great way to enhance your photos and express your creativity. Apps like PicsArt also offer various tools and features that make the process fun, easy, and accessible, whether creating custom stickers, transforming elements, or adjusting the colors and lighting for a different vibe. 

However, editing photos for a long time can strain your eyes, making you feel uncomfortable and impacting the quality of your work. Fortunately, caring for your eyes doesn’t have to be complicated. By practicing helpful habits and aiding your work with the right essentials, editing photos can be a breeze. 

Here are some eye-friendly tips to help you avoid strain and discomfort as a photo editor:

Take breaks

You can get easily absorbed in your photo editing, but constantly working can strain your eyes. Since they’re constantly focused on your screen, your eyes can become strained after a prolonged period. Not only does this habit cause discomfort, but it can negatively affect your edits since your eyes aren’t in good condition, and you may be pushing yourself to make unnecessary and excessive changes. 

Taking regular breaks is an easy way to prevent digital eye strain and help you come back to your edits with a fresh look. To remind yourself to step away from the screen frequently, you can follow eye strain practices like the 20-20-20 rule; you look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. This helps your eyes focus on a different distance to prevent strain from close-up work. You can also follow productivity techniques like the Pomodoro Method, which is 25 minutes of work followed by a five-minute break. During the break, you can take the time to step away from your device, drink water, or take a quick nap before diving into your work again.

Wear eyewear

Spending long hours editing photos can take a toll on the eyes, especially since the process involves meticulous work that can strain the eyes. It also doesn’t help if you’re struggling with blurriness; your eyes may be working harder to work around the issue. Eyewear can be a game-changer for your photo editing process, allowing you to spot details with less effort. 

Even if your prescription is weak, glasses may offer enhanced clarity for comfortable and precise editing. If you struggle to view details up close, readers glasses may come in handy for near work. These glasses come with magnification that makes viewing your screen and photos easier when using a device like a phone or tablet. Eyewear brand Foster Grant showcases how varied readers are and how they accommodate for varying distances. Progressive Multi Focus readers, like the Conan, have three strengths that allow you to edit on your phone, switch to your computer, and go about other daily tasks without having to swap between frames. Foster Grant also offers readers glasses with blue-light-blocking lenses that can further ward off eye strain for people with digitally-intensive lifestyles like photo editors. Before you buy a pair, you can undergo an eye exam to get professional advice about what kind of eyewear best suits your vision needs.

Use hydration essentials

You tend to blink less frequently when looking at a screen, so your eyes can become dry and uncomfortable while you edit your photos. Dehydrated eyes are more than an inconvenience; they can even increase your risk of infection and injury without the tear film to wash irritants away. While editing, keep hydration essentials nearby to refresh your eyes for clarity and comfort. A reusable water bottle can come in handy and motivate you to stay hydrated while you work. 

You can also invest in an insulated bottle that keeps your drink cool the whole day—you won’t have to go back and forth from your workstation to the fridge to pour a glass of cold water. Eye drops can also combat dry eye by boosting moisture. If you start noticing dry eye symptoms, you can drop the artificial tears into each eye for long-lasting relief. Options like the Blink Triple Care eye drops have been found to help those who struggle with dry eye feel comfortable with their vision, making it an effective product if dryness is an issue you face while editing photos. Aside from these hydrating items, you should also pay attention to how often you blink to retain moisture.