Monitor Height Guidelines

What height should my monitor be relative to my eyes?

There are several competing schools of thought on this issue, however, we at ErgoCanada.com recommend that the top of the viewable screen of your monitor should be at the same approximate height as your eyes. Since most of the time you are focused in the middle of your monitor, you will be looking slightly downward at a 10-15 degree angle, on average. And the monitor should be slightly tilted back (about 10-15 degrees) so that when you are looking at the center of the screen your line of sight is perpendicular to the screen's surface. At the very most the bottom of the viewable area of your monitor should never be more than 25-30 degrees below your line of sight.

Why not set up my monitor at a lower height?

The biggest problem with locating the monitor at a lower elevation is that it will result in your eyes looking downward. When you look down, even slightly, your head will have an automatic tendency to tilt downward, putting strain on the neck muscles. If you maintain that position, over time you will start bend your entire body over and lean forward subconsciously to relieve the tension on your neck. This will put you in a poor posture which can lead to increased strain on other parts of your body (a back support on a chair can't help you if you are leaning forward in your chair).

A normal relaxed position for your head is anywhere from completely vertical to as much as 10 degrees looking downward - any 'tilt' larger than that can lead to the issues noted above. While you may have a tendency to start leaning forward when looking as the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, that will correct itself when you need to target on a menu at the top of the screen if your monitor is at the correct height. However, when even the top of the viewable area is below your 'straight ahead' viewing angle there is nothing to correct the subconcious tendency to curl into a 'hunched' position which is anything but ergonomic.

What about bifocals?

Bifocals can significantly affect how your monitor should be positioned. If only the lower portion of your glasses will allow you to see the monitor in focus, then obviously the monitor should be located at a height that will allow you to maintain your head at a comfortable vertical position which does not go beyond 90 degrees (i.e. bending your head back). This will likely mean placing the monitor at a lower elevation than for someone with contacts or normal vision.

What about the example I always hear about "Hold a piece of paper and read it - you don't hold it up at eye level, do you?"

This argument is flawed on several fronts. The reason we read a piece of paper in a low position is that our arms are not designed to maintain an extended position for any period of time at or near shoulder height - lactic acid starts to build up almost immediately when arms are extended. It is more comfortable to hold any object with arms relaxed at our sides and bent at the elbow. When viewing a monitor, the arms are not involved, so the comparison is inappropriate at best.

In general humans act and react to our environment from a vertical position walking on two legs and sitting in an upright position. Our hunting ancestors and modern day human pedestrians as a rule default to scanning the horizon to make sure that they are safe. We only occasionally glance down to avoid tripping on objects - and with those occasional glances our vision and attention returns to the horizon. In other words our eyes are designed to be used at the orientation of looking straight ahead as opposed to looking down 30 to 45 degrees.

How do I raise (lower) my monitor to the correct height?

Raising a monitor is quite simple - old phone books, stacks of paper, anything sturdy can be used to elevate a monitor. Using monitor risers (such as the VuRyte line of monitor risers) will allow you to utilize the space under your monitor for storage, and ensure a firm elevated platform which won't make your IT department nervous about a monitor being on something potentially unstable. If you have a multi-user workstation, an easily adjustable monitor lift such as Waterloo's Monitor Master is an option to provide a range of adjustability from 6" to 13" above the worksurface. If you have a sit / stand workstation, a device with even larger range of motion may be required, such as Fox Bay's Sit/Stand Monitor lift which adjusts from 5 1/2" to 22" above the worksurface.

If you need to lower your monitor, that can be more difficult - apart from creating a 'cutout' in your desktop, the only other option is to replace your desk or raise yourself (but then you need to raise your chair, provide proper foot support, raise the keyboarding/mousing surface, etc.).