Most people, when thinking about their workplace setup, will consider the elements that are physically in contact with their body. The chair is almost always the first priority, with the desk, and computer peripherals following it.
But while the monitor is not something most users touch while working, it's also a very important part of your workstation, and having a good, ergonomic setup for it can do wonders for your health.
Badly placed monitors can actually hurt your eyes and your body without ever coming in contact with them, so it's important to know why monitor placement is important and how you can correct it!
Let's look at some of the ways for finding the best ergonomic monitor placement.
Why Monitor Placement Matters
Monitor placement is a lot more important than you think it is. You might assume that it doesn't really matter as much as, say, the comfort of your chair, but having the right monitor setup can prevent a whole slew of health problems that you may not even be aware of.
For example, if your monitor is too far, it may be difficult to see the screen, which can make your eyes strain. On the flip side, if it's too close, it can be difficult to focus and can also cause long-term vision problems.
Similarly, having bad monitor placement can also cause problems for your neck, back and shoulders, and if you're not careful, this could spread down your arm to your wrist and fingers as well! As an example, if your monitor is placed in a position where you have to slump to see the screen, you're almost definitely going to end up with some sort of pain in your neck and shoulder muscles.
You can also hurt your lower back this way, which can be difficult to work with. Because your shoulder muscles are connected to your arm, this pain could eventually spread and cause muscle contractions and tension which can be extremely painful.
If you don't treat these problems in time and take steps to prevent them, you can easily end up with long-term injuries that are very difficult to heal and recover from.
What to Consider For An Ergonomic Monitor Placement
Naturally, because bad monitor placement comes with all these problems, you'd want to have the right one to make sure you're not at risk of the consequences. Let's take a look at the things to consider for an ergonomic monitor placement.
Distance
Your computer screen - whether it's a laptop or a monitor - should be placed at least 18 to 28 inches away from your face. The easier way to measure the appropriate distance is to keep it at least one arm's length away. This way the screen is far enough to avoid your eyes having to constantly refocus to see what's on the screen, while not being so far away that you have to squint.
This distance works best for almost every screen size. Most laptop screens fall between 11 to 15 inches, and this distance works perfectly for these. For smaller screens, there is always the option to change the font size to make it more visible.
Lighting
Lighting can be quite a problem when it comes to your monitor placement. You don't want to keep it in a position where it will reflect a lot of light into your eyes, since this can make your eyes strain. Over time, this can cause fatigue and even vision problems.
It can also force you into an awkward position to be able to see what's on the screen, which can also cause bodily problems.
Angle
The angle you place your monitor at is also important, because it helps keep you from twisting your neck and head into an awkward angle to see the screen. It's important that your screen be kept right in front of you, so that you're not turning your head to the side to look at it. Keeping your head turned can cause cramps and aches in your neck muscles.
Besides that, the angle of the monitor is important even when it's right in front of you. You don't want your screen to be too low, because that will force you to crane your neck down to see the screen. In some cases, you may even end up slouching over to see the screen properly, which can cause pain in your back and shoulders as well. It can also affect the angle of your arms and thus put you at risk of wrist and arm injuries like nerve compression.
At the same time, a monitor that is too high will make you look up and also cause problems with your neck.
The monitor should be placed at an angle where you don't have to crane your neck up or down to see the screen. A 30 degree angle below the line of sight is most appropriate because your eyes will tend to look down or straight ahead when they are at rest.
Best Ergonomic Monitor Placement
So, now that we know why a good ergonomic placement is important, and what to consider, what is the best ergonomic monitor placement?
Center The Screen
For one thing, keep the monitor straight in front of you on your desk. If you have two monitors, keep the one you use primarily straight ahead, while the secondary one can be a little bit to the side.
Keep An Arm's Distance
Keep the screen at the right distance. Too close or too far can hurt your eyes, and even cause posture problems.
Keep The Right Angle
Keeping your monitor at an angle where you don't have to look up or too far down. Your eyes should be at the spot about 2 inches from the top of the monitor when you look straight ahead.
While all these tips are great, there is some trouble some people may face. There may not be enough space on your desk, or you don't want to keep your monitor from blocking the view of the rest of your employees, or any such thing. In this case a monitor mount is the perfect option for you.
With this, you can adjust your monitor to any position you like without having to do anything. If you have trouble with the space, a monitor arm doesn't take any on your desk. If your problem is that it blocks your vision, you can simply move it out of the way when you need to.
FlexiSpot Single Monitor Mount
If you're looking for a good monitor mount for your workspace, FlexiSpot's Single Monitor Mount is your best bet.
This monitor mount comes with a fully adjustable arm that lets you rotate, extend, tilt or swivel the monitor with as much as a light touch, so you don't have to do anything special to get your screen to where you want it to be. All you have to do is push it in the right direction and it'll get there.
This monitor mount comes with a 360 degree rotation, which is useful when you have to work with things that look better with different orientations. It can also help with collaborative work, such as showing a colleague what you're working on for team input. It can also help with fixing the angle to be able to see the screen better depending on your sitting position.
The Flexispot Single Monitor Mount also comes with a cordless desktop option by incorporating a cable management system which makes it easier to keep your wires and cords under your control and make your workspace look less messy and cluttered. This way you get to work a lot more productively than you would otherwise.
This monitor mount is also very easy to install. You can use the C-clamp option, or the grommet option, depending on whichever works for you. All it takes is a few minutes to set up your monitor mount so you can start using it for work pretty much immediately.
The mount also has a fairly high loading capacity. It can hold up larger monitors with heavier weights, which helps in workspaces where larger monitors allow you to work productively and ergonomically. The screen size range is fairly wide, and so is the weight capacity.
The frame of the mount is made of aircraft-grade material, so you don't have to worry about your equipment falling over in the middle of your work and possibly destroying your desk with it.
All-in-all, a monitor mount is an excellent investment for any home or office workspace for ergonomic monitor placement, and is definitely one you should consider getting if you're looking to enhance your workspace productivity.
