Some computer users with lots of discipline might be able to force themselves to taking regular breaks but the average user usually forgets about them or are concentrated on work which they do not want to interrupt.

The best help for these users is to make use of a software program like Eyecare that informs them when it is time to take a break. Eyecare is probably the most basic type of eye stress relief breaks programs. It is a portable software program that runs quietly in the background. The only indication that it is running is a system tray icon and the process in the task manager.

The program will automatically bring up a black screen every 20 minutes for one minute so that the user can rest the eyes. There is unfortunately no configuration available at this point in development which means it is not possible to change the frequency of the screen blackouts. Eyecare is also a bit heavy on the resource side as it uses more than 20 Megabytes of computer memory while running. Viable alternatives with more options are Workrave or Eye Defender.

That is quite a few symptoms and better to be avoided. Eye Defender helps by reminding the user to take regular computer breaks. The software sits quietly in the system task for most of the time but becomes active every 45 minutes by default.

It’s up to the user on how he is reminded of the break, he has four choices that are offered by the program: Display a picture, run the screensaver, display a popup reminder or run the visual training that relaxes the eyes.

The break interval can be changed between 1 to 999 minutes but the default values are 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes and it is recommended to choose one of them. The break duration can be defined as well.

The most interesting break reminder is the visual training that displays various symbols and figures on the screen to relax the eyes.

Eye Defender runs on most Microsoft operating systems from Windows 98 to Windows XP and Windows Vista.