How Screen Fatigue From Video Calls Compounds With Poor Browser Settings

A day of video calls can be more tiring than the same day of meetings in person. Stanford researcher Jeremy Bailenson, writing in 2021, pointed to several reasons: intense close-up eye contact, constantly seeing yourself, being stuck in one spot, and working harder to read body language. Poor screen and browser settings then add physical strain on top.

What makes calls tiring

• Self-view: watching your own face all day, like a mirror.
• Close-up faces: large faces at close range feel intense.
• Less movement: staying within the camera frame.
• Back-to-back calls with no walking between rooms.

How screen setup adds to it

• Glare and brightness: a screen much brighter than the room makes eyes work harder.
• Small text: squinting at shared screens and chat.
• Less blinking: people blink less when focused on screens, which dries eyes.
• Bright white pages between calls, especially in a dim room.

Call settings that help

1. Hide self-view after checking you look fine; Zoom, Teams and Meet all allow it.
2. Use speaker view or shrink the video window so faces aren't huge.
3. Turn the camera off when it's not needed. See always-on camera culture.
4. Schedule shorter calls, such as 25 or 50 minutes, to leave breaks.

Browser and screen settings that help

• Match brightness to the room.
• Zoom pages with Ctrl and + (Cmd on Mac) so text is comfortable.
• Use dark mode in a dim room to cut the glare of white pages.
• Warm the colors in the evening. Blue Light Filter adds an adjustable amber overlay to web pages, on a schedule if you like. Evidence that blue light itself causes eye strain is weak, but many people find warmer, dimmer screens more comfortable.

Habits between calls

• Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Stand up or walk between calls.
• Take some calls as audio only, while walking.
• Blink deliberately, and use eye drops if your eyes feel dry.

When to see someone

Ongoing headaches, blurred vision or eye pain are worth checking with an eye doctor; you may need glasses for screen distance. See blue light and sleep and font size and reading fatigue.