Eye Break Timer
A screen break timer built on the 20-20-20 rule, with routines tuned for coders, designers, gamers and students.
About this tool
Eye Break Timer
A screen break timer built on the 20-20-20 rule, with routines tuned for coders, designers, gamers and students.
Rest your eyes on a schedule that fits how you use a screen. Pick a routine, start the timer and follow the break prompts. This page brings together 7 separate eye break timer pages (Coder, Designer, Gamer, Student, 20-20-20 rule, Eye rest (simple), Night shift) so you can compare them without hunting for the right one.
How to use Eye Break Timer
- 1
Open Eye Break Timer on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
- 2
Choose your routine at the top: Coder, Designer, Gamer, Student and 1 more. On a phone it is a drop-down list.
- 3
Fill in the eye break timer for that routine; each of the 7 options keeps its own rules, data and defaults.
- 4
Read the result, then switch routine to compare. The page link keeps your routine (?v=coder), so you can bookmark or share it.
Why use Eye Break Timer
All 7 in one place
Coder, Designer, Gamer and the rest sit behind one picker, so switching routine takes a tap instead of a new search.
Built for each option
Every routine keeps its own rules, numbers and defaults rather than one generic template.
Shareable view
The link remembers the routine you picked, so a bookmark or a shared link opens straight on it.
Common use cases
- See that a 25 minute edit cycle with a 90 second build still leaves gaps the builds cannot cover, and how many extra prompts that means over four hours.
- Schedule a three-hour retouching session so each colour sign-off is preceded by a proper 60 second neutral reset.
- Find out that a 5 minute arcade format lets you break every third match and still stay inside the rule.
- Plan an eight-pomodoro revision afternoon and see that it ends at 13:05, not 'sometime this afternoon'.
Frequently asked questions
Which routine options does this tool cover?
7: Coder, Designer, Gamer, Student, 20-20-20 rule, Eye rest (simple), Night shift. Pick one at the top of the tool; the page link updates (for example ?v=coder) so you can bookmark or share that exact view.
Does waiting for a build count as an eye break?
Only if it is at least 20 seconds and you actually look away. A 90 second build gives you more than enough time, but staring at the log as it scrolls is still near work and does not rest the focusing muscle. A 5 second incremental compile is too short to count at all.
Why does colour look different after staring at a design for a while?
Chromatic adaptation. The visual system continuously renormalises towards the average colour in your field of view, so after a long spell on a warm or heavily saturated layout a neutral grey starts to look tinted the other way. Most of that shift happens within about a minute, which is also roughly how long it takes to undo on a neutral field.
How often should gamers take eye breaks?
Aim for a break every 20 minutes of screen time, lasting at least 20 seconds, looking around 6 metres away. In practice that means breaking on a match boundary — after every third round in a 5 minute format, or after every single match in anything longer than 20 minutes.
How long should a study session be before a break?
The Pomodoro Technique uses 25 minutes of focus followed by a short break of about five minutes, with a longer 15 to 30 minute break after every four blocks. For your eyes the ceiling is tighter: no more than 20 minutes of continuous near work before looking into the distance.
What is the 20-20-20 rule?
Every 20 minutes of screen or other near work, look at something at least 20 feet — about 6.1 metres — away for a minimum of 20 seconds. It gives the ciliary muscle holding your focus at reading distance a chance to relax, and gives the blink reflex time to re-wet the eye surface.