Screen Placement

There are a number of factors to consider relating to screen placement:

Height (vertical placement)

Eyes are more comfortable with a downward gaze for near work, so a low screen is better for the eyes and neck than a high screen.

Make sure that:

• The top of the screen is at or below eye level;
• The viewing angle of the screen is between 0° and 65° below the horizontal eye level (Figure 19).
• No part of the screen should fall outside this viewing angle.

Eye-to-screen distance

The best viewing distance depends on a number of factors and varies from user to user. The eyes struggle to converge and focus on objects that are too near, particularly if the object is at eye level or above.

• Position the screen between 400mm and 750mm away from the eyes of the user.
• Many users may find larger viewing distances more comfortable;
• Place the screen at a distance at which the user can easily read the displayed text.
• If the user prefers a greater viewing distance, increase the text size or zoom, e.g. 100% to 150%.

Tilt

The height and tilt of the screen should be easily adjustable to maintain an appropriate viewing angle. The bottom of the screen should be slightly closer to the user’s eye than the top as our eyes are accustomed to higher objects being further away. The degree of tilt will always depend on the height of the screen; for example, a tilt greater than 15° will be necessary if the user likes a particularly low screen.

Note that tilting the screen forward to avoid glare problems on the screen is not an acceptable solution to lighting problems. It is recommended that:

• CRT screens have a minimum tilt adjustability of 0° to 15°;
• LCD screens have a minimum tilt adjustability of 0° to 20°;
• The top of the screen not be closer to the user’s eye than the bottom;
• Tilt be adjusted together with the height of the screen.

Download the full computer guidelines brochure here.