Monitor height and viewing distance, worked out

Straferz setup deskUpdated September 2026Targets from OSHA and CCOHS; arithmetic shown in full
Short answer

Set the top edge of the screen at or slightly below your seated eye level, and sit 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 inches) from the screen. The height is seated eye height minus desk height. Larger screens need more distance; looking upward is the direction to avoid.

Two published rules govern this, and they do not give the same answer for the same monitor. Knowing what each rule measures is the difference between comfort and a neck crick.

On this page
  1. The two rules
  2. Measure your seated eye line
  3. Height arithmetic
  4. Viewing distance by screen size
  5. The downward angle
  6. Tilt and glare
  7. Questions people ask

The two rules, and why they differ

Source What it recommends What it measures
OSHA computer workstations eTool Top line of the screen at or below eye level; viewing distance 20 to 40 inches (50 to 100 cm) The top edge of the panel
CCOHS office ergonomics Screen centre about 15 degrees or slightly lower below the horizontal eye line The centre of the screen
Ergotron Top of the screen at or slightly below eye level, at least 20 inches away Both, in the same sentence

The two kinds of rule describe the same monitor from two places. A 27 inch 16:9 panel is about 34 cm tall, so a screen whose top edge is exactly at eye level puts its centre 17 cm lower. Both rules want you looking down rather than up, and they can still disagree by several centimetres about where the panel sits.

Where the sources admit uncertaintyCCOHS states that published guidance on viewing angle and distance differs between sources, sometimes significantly, and should be treated as a starting point. Research on where the eyes come to rest spans roughly 15 to 30 degrees, which is why 15 degrees is a convention rather than a measurement.

Measure your seated eye line

Both targets hang off one measurement you take yourself. No guidance body publishes a figure, because it depends on your height, chair and posture.

  1. Sit at the desk in your normal posture, feet flat, back against the chair.
  2. Look straight ahead and have someone mark the wall level with your eyes, or use a mirror and a strip of tape.
  3. Measure from the floor to that mark. That is your seated eye height.
  4. Measure from the floor to the desk surface.
  5. Write both numbers down; they change with the chair.

Height arithmetic

Target screen top height above the desk = seated eye height minus desk height. The riser you need is that number minus where your screen top actually sits.

Seated eye height Desk height Screen top should be this far above the desk
120 cm 74 cm 46 cm
125 cm 75 cm 50 cm

Measure where the screen top lands now. If a 27 inch monitor on its own stand puts it 42 cm above the desk and the target is 46 cm, you need about 4 cm of riser. If it lands at 52 cm, the screen is too high: lower it rather than adding anything.

A screen on an arm follows the same arithmetic, with easier adjustment in two axes.

Monitor height and angle calculator

Enter your measured eye height, desk height, the screen top height now, and your viewing distance.

Floor to your pupil line, sitting normally
Desk surface to the top of the panel

Geometry from your own measurements, not medical advice. It does not account for corrective lenses, which usually want the screen lower.

Which one to buy

Every option this store stocks, with price, type and who it suits, is compared on one page.

Viewing distance by screen size

OSHA gives 50 to 100 cm (20 to 40 inches) from the eye to the screen surface, and notes that text size may need raising for smaller monitors. CCOHS illustrates 40 to 74 cm and adds that an arm length is a workable estimate. Ergotron adds that larger screens want more distance.

Screen Panel height, 16:9 Vertical angle covered at 60 cm Practical read
24 inch 30 cm 28 degrees Comfortable at the short end, 50 to 60 cm
27 inch 34 cm 31 degrees Common choice, 60 to 75 cm
32 inch 40 cm 37 degrees Wants 75 cm or more; panel width then drives neck rotation
What the distance advice cannot doIt cannot tell you whether the text is legible at that range. CCOHS is explicit that the right distance is where you can read the screen without strain, and that increasing font size beats moving closer.

The downward angle and the tilt

CCOHS defines the viewing angle as the degrees above or below a horizontal line at eye level to the centre of the screen, and recommends about 15 degrees below horizontal or slightly lower. Looking above the horizontal is tiring; looking below 15 degrees was not reported as particularly fatiguing.

That is why the general answer is to err low. A screen slightly too low is a small problem; one too high produces the chin-up posture that becomes neck and shoulder pain.

Tilt covers the rest. OSHA suggests tilting the screen perpendicular to your line of sight, usually no more than 10 to 20 degrees back, and warns that tilting can create glare from ceiling lighting. Ergotron gives the same range and notes that bifocal and progressive wearers usually want the screen lower, because the reading part of the lens sits at the bottom.

  1. Correct the height first, with a riser or the monitor height adjustment, then tilt. Tilt cannot fix a screen that is 10 cm too high.
  2. Check the reflection: look for a bright patch from a window or ceiling light on the panel. If tilting creates one, change the angle rather than living with it.
  3. Check text legibility before you move closer. Scale the interface instead.
  4. Re-measure the viewing distance after a tilt change, because tilting the top edge back moves it away from you.

Related

Questions people ask

Should the top of the monitor be at eye level?
OSHA says the top line of the screen at or below eye level; CCOHS says the top should not be above eye level while the centre sits about 15 degrees below horizontal. Both accept a top edge slightly below your eye line, so if you must choose, sit it lower rather than higher.
How far should a 27 inch monitor be from your eyes?
Around 60 to 75 cm. OSHA brackets the category at 50 to 100 cm, CCOHS illustrates 40 to 74 cm, and a 27 inch 16:9 panel covers about 31 degrees of vertical view at 60 cm. If you wear progressives, sit at the shorter end.
Is it bad to look down at a monitor?
No. CCOHS reports that looking above the horizontal is tiring and that looking below 15 degrees was not reported as particularly fatiguing. The caution is how far down: too far tilts your head forward.
How do I fix a monitor that is too low?
Raise it by the difference between your seated eye height and where the screen top sits above the desk. Most panels on their own stand land 5 to 15 cm short, and a riser covers that.
What is the correct viewing angle for a gaming monitor?
There is no single correct figure, and the sources say so. CCOHS puts the comfortable downward line of sight near 15 degrees below horizontal, with research spanning 15 to 30 degrees. Aim for that band.

Sources

  1. OSHA. Computer Workstations eTool, monitors: viewing distance 20 to 40 inches, top line of screen at or below eye level, tilt 10 to 20 degrees — www.osha.gov/etools/computer-workstations/components/monitors
  2. CCOHS. Office ergonomics, positioning the monitor: viewing distance and viewing angle — www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/monitor_positioning.html
  3. Ergotron. The Ergonomic Equation, monitor tips: screen height, viewing distance and tilt — www.ergotron.com/en-us/ergonomics/ergonomic-equation

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