Reduce Eyestrain with the Best Apps for PC, Mac, iOS and Android

Prolonged usage on any kind of display, whether it is your PC, a Mac or a mobile device, is detrimental for your eyes. Chances are that your eyes will start to experience a severe discomfort, which can even give rise to eye inflammation or even eyesight problems in some cases. Even when you start using your smartphones while lying in bed, those color tones play havoc with your brain, forcing you to stay awake at night. However, there are certain apps that can help reduce the risk of eyestrain significantly.

We have compiled a list of applications for PC, Mac OS X, iOS and Android that will reduce eyestrain drastically.

Best Applications for PC

F.Lux: A very popular application for not only the PC platform, but also for Linux and Mac OS X, f.lux is mostly used for laptops and desktops. The application changes the color temperature of your computer’s display depending on the time of the day. Everything might seem normal during the day, but f.lux uses warmer colors after sunset to match your indoor lighting. The application is also available for your iOS devices, but it will require you to jailbreak it.

Pangobright: This application dims the lights on your screen based on your own preferences. The app is very resource friendly and will allow you to adjust the settings of multiple monitors if you have such a setup present at your household.

Best Applications for Mac OS X

Nocturne: The application is only available for the Mac and it reduces eye strain by giving you options to change your display using a monochrome scheme. This will include inverting colors, disabling shadow effects, and adjusting tints and you also have an option to adjust your screen brightness much lower than the default value.

Best Applications for iOS

EyeSight: One of the leading causes of eye strain is staring at smaller pieces of text for long periods of time. EyeSight has several useful functions such as increasing the size of text on the mobile device. In short, you will be able to solve the tiny text issue with just a couple of flicks from your finger.

iBooks: If you happen to find reading documents and books from your iPhone irritating, then you will be pleased to know that iBooks deserves a look, especially since it reduces eyestrain for users that love to read. The contrast between the darkness of the surrounding environment and the glare given off by the iPhone’s display can be a lethal combination that causes eyestrain and disrupts your sleep patterns. The iBooks e-reader app has a night mode that switches from a typical black text on a white background to light gray text on a black background. The new color combo has been designed to go easy on your eyes.

Best Applications for Android

Twilight: Sadly, F.lux might not be available for Android, but you have the next best thing in the form of Twilight. This app automatically adjusts the brightness of the device, or color temperature over the course of the day by reducing the harsh whites and blue lights as the day progresses. As night time approaches, the application starts to deliver a much softer red filter over the display and this color scheme goes very easy on your eyes, which is exactly what you want when you happen to be browsing the contents of your smartphone when everything around you is pitch black.

Lux Lite: The app not only controls the brightness of your phone’s display, but conserves battery life as well. When you happen to switch from different brightness areas, all you have to do is to open the Dashboard, adjust the brightness setting to the level that you desire, then simply hold down the link button. For example, if you are located in a dimly lit room, Lux Lite will simply lower the brightness of your display to not only make it comfortable to read but will also save battery life for when you need it the most.

Blue Light Filter For Eye Care: While the name is quite long for an application, Blue Light Filter for Eye Care app filters blue light out from your Android smartphones’ screen, which results in an extremely comfortable reading experience. This color scheme will allow you to sleep much more easily. However, you should know that the app does not dim the screen but adjusts the screen color just to reduce blue light, which can put a strain on your eyes. Additionally, the app’s function can be enabled or disabled with a single tap.

We hope this post proves beneficial for all smartphone and computer users. Do try out these applications and tell us if you were able to sleep better than before while using your smartphone in low-light, or absolute pitch-black conditions, in the comments below.