F.lux reduces eye strain, helps your general health – it’s science

F.lux can save your eyes

As someone who does a great deal of their work in the evening, the computer screen can sometimes be the enemy. Your eyes deal with a constant barrage of light, color, and background environments. Your eyes get tired staring at the screen all day, but at night, eyes strain intensifies. F.lux helps reduce this strain by changing the temperature of your screen.

Of course you can adjust the brightness on your monitor, but that does not solve the problem. Color temperature can be thought of as the theme, or color scheme of your monitor or settings. Most of the time, your computer projects a blue color temperature because it is pleasing to the eyes during daylight hours, however, at night, it is uncomfortable. F.lux shares the research concerning blue light, which can also disturb sleep patterns, but adjusting these settings yourself can be a pain; luckily F.lux has you covered.

F.lux works in the background and allows you to customize the temperature of your monitor. The first time you use it, you will need to add your location and then the app will determine the time of sunrise and sunset at your location. Based on this data, it will determine how to change the temperature to optimize your environment for your eyes. You can also customize it yourself with Fluorescent, Halogen, or Tungsten lighting effects.

No big difference in the daytime

During the day, you will not notice too much of a difference in your screen, but at night, the difference is very noticeable. As the sun sets, your monitor will change varying shades, from a dull white to peach. It does take a little time to get used to but once you do, it is a really pleasant way to work. You can choose how long the color-changing transition takes: slow; which is one hour, or fast, which is twenty seconds. I found that the slow option gave you more time to adjust to the change, but perhaps with several days of use the fast option would be better.

Wondering if you should trying F.lux? You really need to see it for yourself to understand how it works. F.lux can reduce eye strain while you are using your tablet/computer/phone at night, reduce stimulation caused by “blue light” and allow you to sleep better, and increase productivity by letting you work longer with less strain on your eyes. The app is free and is available for iPhone/iPad, Windows, Linux, and Mac.