3 Ways to Make All-Day Trading Easier on Your Eyes

Do your eyes get tired after a long day of staring at your 4 to 8 computer screens? Does all the visual busyness make it harder for you to focus on what's happening in the market?

Day trading is a very visually intensive business. So any changes you adopt to make trading easier on your eyes will translate to an easier day, and maybe even a more profitable day.

Here are 3 things you can do to give your eyes a break and help you focus:

1. Reduce Exposure to Blue Light

During the Day

You may already be aware of the side-effects of too much exposure to blue light. (Blue light is the range within the visible light spectrum having the shortest wavelengths and highest energy.)

Blue light scatters more easily than other visible light, so it's not as easily focused and reduces contrast. This is why it contributes to eye strain.

You may want to try computer glasses (either with or without prescription lenses). There are several types of lenses and coatings available that block or reduce blue light exposure, and thereby reduce the daily toll on your eyes from trading.

At Bedtime

We all need some blue light to stay healthy. It's particularly important in maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm (i.e., your natural wakefulness and sleep cycle).

Research shows that blue light boosts alertness, helps you think and remember better, and elevates your mood. But too much blue light close to bedtime (like from a computer screen) can disrupt your circadian rhythm and keep you awake at night.

It's fairly easy to control bedtime exposure to blue light. Most devices have a setting to filter it out.

If you're working late on your trading computer, you can turn down the blue light in Windows using Settings > System > Display > Night light settings.

2. Remove Distractions with Grayscale Mode

Colors are great for attracting attention. So application designers use bright colors to direct your focus to wherever they want you to look.

However, all those attractive bright colors can be problematic. Especially when you're trying to focus on something not inherently colorful, like writing a report in Word.

Fortunately, Windows has a grayscale mode that will block the distracting colors, including those icons across the taskbar that look like a juicy row of Skittles.

To turn on grayscale mode in Windows 10, go to Settings > Ease of Access > Color filters. Toggle ON the option to use color filters. Then from the list of filters, select Grayscale. (Tip: also try Grayscale inverted to see if that better suits your personal preference.)

If you find yourself using grayscale mode often, you may want to check the box to allow the shortcut key (Windows-Ctrl-C) to toggle it on and off. That way you can quickly get back to your market tracking when the writing is done.

3. Use Third-Party Apps to Gain More Control

We traders love our multiple monitors. How else are we going to keep track of multiple stocks while still being able to initiate trades, respond to emails, and calculate new stop losses without all that bothersome minimizing and maximizing of windows?

But admit it. Multiple monitors are distracting. They're supposed to be distracting, so you'll notice when something significant happens.

But sometimes you just don't want to lose your train of thought. Like when you're doing deep work.

You could always turn off the other monitors. But who wants to physically turn off and on 5 to 7 monitors?

One solution is to use a third-party app to control your display bank. Here are a couple to try:

• F.lux is a free app that lets you control blue light during various times of the day. It also has a grayscale mode.
• DisplayFusion (with free and paid versions) lets you dim all monitors except the primary one from a keyboard shortcut.

Give Your Eyes a Break Today

There's no way around it. Trading is visually demanding work.

If staring at charts all day long is giving you a headache, or if you feel like you're on total visual overload, start by trying one of these suggestions for reducing the demand you're putting on your precious eyes.

Protecting your vision by making trading easier on your eyes is worth whatever it takes.

There are more trading computer tips like this in our buyer's guide. Check out our free e-book Complete Guide to Trading Computers. We hope today's Quick Tip helped you. If you found this helpful, you'll want to check out the other computer How-To's I've created on this page. You can always call us if you have questions: 800-387-5250.

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I reduce eye strain from trading all day?

Attack it in three places. Cut blue light during the day with computer glasses or a filter, since blue light scatters and reduces contrast, which is what tires your eyes. Use grayscale mode when you are doing focused non-chart work. And use an app like DisplayFusion to dim the monitors you are not looking at rather than leaving all six competing for attention.

Do blue light glasses actually help traders?

They address a real mechanism: blue light has the shortest wavelengths in the visible spectrum and scatters more easily, so it focuses less cleanly and lowers contrast, and that contributes to strain. Lenses and coatings that reduce that exposure are available with or without a prescription. They are worth trying before anything more elaborate.

Should I turn off blue light at night?

Reduce it in the evening, yes. Blue light during the day supports alertness and mood, but exposure close to bedtime disrupts your circadian rhythm and keeps you awake — which costs you the next trading day. Windows has Night light under Settings, System, Display, and most devices have an equivalent.

How do I stop multiple monitors from distracting me?

Multiple monitors are supposed to grab your attention, which is exactly the problem during deep work. Rather than physically switching off five or seven screens, use an app such as DisplayFusion to dim everything except your primary monitor from a keyboard shortcut, and bring them back when you are done.

What is grayscale mode and why would a trader use it?

It strips color out of the display, which removes the bright cues applications use to pull your eye. It is not for chart reading, where color carries information, but it helps when you are writing, reading or working through email between sessions. In Windows it is under Settings, Ease of Access, Color filters, and it is worth enabling the Windows-Ctrl-C shortcut to toggle it quickly.