For those of us who spend most of our waking hours sitting in front of screens (i.e. ALL of us), we’ve learned a lot recently about the negative health effects of screen exposure, especially when it comes to eye health. I’ve seen a lot of activity in Facebook groups in the last few months especially about eye health and protecting yourself from blue light. I’ve done past podcasts with sleep experts such as Shawn Stevenson and Ben Greenfield about how to get better sleep in part by limiting exposure to blue light in the latter half of the day, but I’ve yet to have an expert on the podcast to talk specifically about what can be done to limit the health problems created by looking at computer screens all day.
In this episode I chat with Daniel Georgiev, a young but extremely talented computer programmer from Bulgaria who created the software program Iris which is now an indispensable tool in my toolkit. I’ve talked about F.lux many times in the past and recommended it for years, but now my #1 recommendation for eye health if you work in front of a computer is Iris. I have it installed on every computer I own and can’t live without it. Daniel and I talk about how Iris works, why he created it, and more importantly what you can do to mitigate the negative effects on your eyes of working on computers for long hours.
Daniel was also kind enough to offer an activation code for a free activation of either Iris Pro or Iris Mini Pro. He’s offering 100 activations of each, first-come first-served. Just use the coupon code “team-optimize” at optimizeyourself.me/iris to get your free license.
NOTE: In order to activate, you must download the free version first and then activate the full version with your code.
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Here’s What You’ll Learn:
- How damaging can staring at a computer be?
- Eye exercises that combat eye strain
- What effects flickering LED displays have on your irises
- Daniel’s experience with eye strain and extended exposure to monitor light
- How blue light an inappropriate times can cause macular degeneration
- Blue light’s damaging effects aren’t limited to just nighttime
- How Iris improves eye health over the course of the entire day
- Ways in which low monitor brightness can be just damaging as high brightness
- How typographical, color, and brightness standards are threatening our vision
Useful Resources Mentioned:
Our Generous Sponsors:
This episode is made possible by Ergodriven, the makers of the Topo Mat, my #1 recommendation for anyone interested in moving more at their height-adjustable workstation. Listen, standing desks are only great if you’re standing well, otherwise you’re constantly fighting fatigue and chronic pain. Not like any other anti-fatigue mat, the Topo is scientifically proven to help you move more throughout the day which helps reduce discomfort and also increase your focus and productivity. And they’re really fun and a great conversation starter.
Guest Bio:
Facebook
Daniel Georgiev is a 21 year old computer programmer from Bulgaria.
Before he learned to code, Daniel was a rower in his country’s national team for more than 5 years, and participated in the 2012 World Rowing Junior Championship.
Daniel is the creator of Iris – software for eye protection with more than 1 million users worldwide.
Show Credits:
This episode was edited by Curtis Fritsch, and the show notes were prepared and published by Jakin Rintelman. Special thanks to Krystle Penhall and Sarah Furie for helping to spread the love!
The original music in the opening and closing of the show is courtesy of Joe Trapanese (who is quite possibly one of the most talented composers on the face of the planet).
Note: I believe in 100% transparency, so please note that I receive a small commission if you purchase products from some of the links on this page (at no additional cost to you). Your support is what helps keep this program alive. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Zack Arnold
Zack Arnold (ACE) is an award-winning Hollywood film editor & producer (Cobra Kai, Empire, Burn Notice, Unsolved, Glee), a documentary director, father of 2, an American Ninja Warrior, and the creator of Optimize Yourself. He believes we all deserve to love what we do for a living...but not at the expense of our health, our relationships, or our sanity. He provides the education, motivation, and inspiration to help ambitious creative professionals DO better and BE better. “Doing” better means learning how to more effectively manage your time and creative energy so you can produce higher quality work in less time. “Being” better means doing all of the above while still prioritizing the most important people and passions in your life…all without burning out in the process. Click to download Zack’s “Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Creativity (And Avoiding Burnout).”