Size, Type, and Brightness of Display for Healthy Development [closed]

Question

If you stare at a monitor for 8-12 hours a day looking at code, I have a couple questions for those that may have researched the health factors of this or have tried a few options.

1. To be easy on the eyes, can a monitor be "too big"?
2. Is there a particular type of display technology over another that reduces eye fatigue?
3. How bright should your display be in relation to your environment? Is it less fatigue to have a bright environment and a bright monitor over a darker environment?

Answer 1

If you're worried about eye-strain, don't forget the low-tech solution: every 30 minutes, lean back, close your eyes, and rest them for 10 seconds. Or, if you don't want to look like you're napping, gaze out a window or across the room. You should do this regardless of whether you're staring at a monitor, a book, or a sheet of music. Staring at anything for hours at a time is going to strain your eyes.

I use a free timer program to tell me when 30 minutes is up. Whenever I forget to do this, my eyes always feel itchy and tired by the end of the day.

I know this doesn't answer the precise question you asked, but I think you're looking in the wrong place for a solution. Rather than investing in a new monitor, just rest your eyes on a regular basis. There. I just saved you a few hundred bucks.

EDIT: References have been requested, so here they are. There's a decent scientific article on the value of microbreaks here and a review of the literature here.