I am interested in ergonomics and trying to make my living and working spaces more comfortable, but it is difficult. Many of the products labeled “ergonomic” have little or no evidence to support their claim, and the advice is conflicting.

I’ve spent a few minutes adjusting my cheap Staples chair and tilting my monitor. I read a few sites that said the top of the screen should be 3 inches above my eye level. I looked at diagrams of faceless people sitting at a 90 degree angle with their monitors perpendicular to their gaze. Then, I found an article that seems to turn all of that advice on its head.

The recommendation that computer monitors be placed at or slightly below eye-level is based in part on the belief that the “normal line of sight,” considered to be the resting point of the eyes, is 15° below the horizontal when the head is upright.

A statement to that effect appears first in an engineering handbook published in 1963 (Morgan et al., 1963). No references were provided and a conversation with one of the authors of the chapter (Orlansky, 1994) could not determine a basis for the statement. It was confirmed that it did not result from laboratory or field studies. Eye-level monitor placement has developed as a guideline despite little or no evidence to support it, and despite the discomfort that persists with this placement.

Interesting that most people probably sit at their laptops with a similar position that they are recommending. Starting today, my chair is raised, and the top of my monitor is tilted away from me. I haven’t noticed a difference yet, but it’s possible that I really need a new chair before I’ll notice any benefits.

Source: ankrumassociates.com