ColorVeil

Computer Eye Strain has become one of the major drawbacks for those of us using computers for long hours.

Between 50 and 90 percent of computer users suffer from some kind of distressing visual symptom that indicates that the brightness of their screen is simply too high. ColorVeil offers what is probably the simplest and most effective relief to the excessive brightness of modern screens by applying a fully customizable color filter that minimizes eye strain regardless of the surrounding light conditions. Besides, the use of this filter has also proven to be of great help to those suffering from dyslexia disorder and SSS.

The brightness of your display is one of the five most important factors that may cause your eyes suffer from unnecessary strain. Despite most (if not all) screens allow you to adjust the levels of brightness and contrast, these may not be enough, not even in their lowest values. ColorVeil is a free and tiny tool that is also easy to install and use, and that is able to reduce with just one click the brightness of your display even below the lowest settings available.

Both the color and the level of opacity can be customized to fit your preferences and needs, or the prescription from your optometrist. You can choose a specific color from your computer’s color palette or let the program choose one at random. Long-wavelength hues, such as orange or red can help you get rid of harmful short-wavelength visible light, such as the one coming from blue light, thus making working or leisure hours at the computer less stressful for your eyes and your brain. The level of opacity is also important, and it should match that of the objects surrounding your computer. ColorVeil lets you adjust the opacity easily using a convenient slider, and that on top of your screen settings.

Persons with dyslexia are very sensitive to the glare of black text over bright white backgrounds, preventing them from seeing the letters clearly and adding an annoying blur or swirl effect on the words they’re trying to read. Those suffering from SSS (Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome, or Meares-Irlen syndrome) find a great relief when wearing tinted lenses or when applying a colored overlay sheet to those surfaces “attacking” their hypersensitive photoreceptors with an excessive brightness. ColorVeil is the most convenient solution for these two disorders when it comes to adjusting the amount of light coming from your computer display.

Whatever your reasons are to require or prefer a specific screen color with a certain opacity level for your screen (dyslexia, SSS, or just plain eye strain), ColorVeil is probably the most flexible, convenient, and efficient solution you’ll surely find out there. This completely free tool is so tiny that anyone can download it and benefit from it in a snap. Easy to toggle on and off and just as simple to configure, you can take ColorVeil’s portable version with you everywhere and use it on any computer without even installing it. I can’t honestly find a reason not to have it installed on your workstation.