Just bought an iPad and filled it with the collective works of Dickens? Don't go blind squinting at that bright screen, follow this advice.

Eye strain is no joke, serious eye strain can lead to head, neck and upper back pain, as well as long term problems like [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myopia Myopia]. 

Fortunately it's pretty easy to avoid eye strain, here are a few tip to make sure you don't end up squinting at the world.

==Take breaks==

The simplest and most effective way to prevent eye strain is to make sure you look up from the screen and give your eyes a rest. 

Because different sets of muscles control different parts of the eye, you don't need to close your eyes to take a break, you just need to change your view. If you've been staring at a screen for too long, look up. Stare out the window for a while, get up and move around the house or take a walk. Focusing on things farther away than your monitor will help relax the overworked eye muscles.

If you find yourself sucked into the internet and frequently lose track of time, consider installing software that keeps track of time for you, and can remind you when it's time to take a break. [http://www.scirocco.ca/takeabreak.html Scirocco Take a Break] (Win) and [http://www.dejal.com/timeout/ TimeOut] (Mac) are simple, free apps that will remind you it's time to take a break from the screen.

Make sure to take frequent, short breaks. Set your software timer to stop you every half hour or so. Frequent short breaks are better than less-frequent, long breaks.

As an added bonus, taking breaks also helps to prevent other computer-related problems like carpal tunnel syndrome.

== Exercise Your Eyes ==

Eye strain is caused by tiring the muscles that control the eyes. Stronger muscles mean less strain. 

To strength the muscles that control your eyes, just close your eyes tightly for a few seconds and then relax and open them. Repeat that 4 or 5 times. Another way to help relax your eyes muscles is put a warm washcloth over them for a few minutes.

== Cut down on contrast==

Yes, the iPad has a brilliant screen, no that isn't necessarily good for you eyes. The high contrast nature of monitors, particularly when viewing bright white backgrounds with tiny black text, are hard on the eyes. Dim your screen a bit if you're reading something long.

==Avoid glare and tiny text ==

High-gloss screens are all the rage, but that reflected light is hard on your eyes. If taking breaks isn't helping, consider getting an anti-glare screen cover or make sure your next monitor or laptop has an anti-glare screen.

Also, make sure that your screen is at a 90 degree angle to any light source to cut down on glare.

Increase the text size if you can. Small text that forces you to squint is far harder on the eyes. If you're on the web use control-+ to increase text size (command-+ on a Mac). If you're using other apps, turn on page zooming so the text is larger.

==Conclusion==

Eye strain is relatively easy to avoid. Just remember to take breaks, lift some eye weights and increase your text size for easier reading. Your eyes will thank you.