Pause before your eyes get tired.
A short break gives your eyes a moment to relax their focus and look farther away.
ShiftSight for Mac and Windows
ShiftSight
A calm desktop app that reminds you to rest your eyes for 20 seconds, every 20 minutes.
No account. No cloud. Just a quiet reminder to look away.
Runs quietly in the background.
No accounts, streaks, feeds, dashboards, or extra attention pulled away from your work.
Choose a softer or firmer reminder.
Use a gentle notification, or turn on the full-screen break when you need a clearer boundary.
Why it helps
Your eyes weren't built to stare at a screen all day.
The hard part isn't knowing you should take breaks. It's remembering to take them while you're in the middle of something.
For the moments that keep stretching.
When one more minute turns into an hour, a timed reminder gives you a clean place to pause.
A break short enough to respect your flow.
Twenty seconds isn't a productivity system. It's just enough time to look across the room.
A timer shouldn't need an account.
Your settings stay on your device, and the app doesn't need a server to do its job.
Private by design.
Your break routine stays between you and your device.
Actual app UI
The app stays simple on purpose.
It lives in your menu bar, counts quietly, and only steps in when it's time to rest your eyes.
How it works
Start gentle. Make it stricter if you need to.
The default is the 20-20-20 rhythm, but you can change the timing and choose how strongly the app interrupts you.
20 20 20 rule
Every 20 minutes, rest your eyes by looking at something far away for 20 seconds.
Full screen break reminders
Use the overlay when you want the break to be hard to ignore.
Works offline
The timer runs locally, so it keeps working without an internet connection.
No account
Open the app, set your timer, and move on. There's nothing to sign in to.
No tracking
The app doesn't collect analytics or send your usage data anywhere.
Custom break times
Change the interval or break length whenever your routine needs something different.
Strict mode
Hide the skip button when you want a stronger boundary around your breaks.
Research and guidance
The idea is simple: regular breaks can help.
ShiftSight isn't a medical treatment. It's a practical way to follow break advice that eye-care groups already recommend.
Screen-related eye strain is well documented.
The American Optometric Association describes computer vision syndrome as eye and vision problems linked to prolonged screen use.
AOA guidanceBreaks are part of standard guidance.
EyeWiki, from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, notes that people using screens for long periods should take breaks and blink frequently.
AAO EyeWiki20-20-20 reminders have been studied.
A 2023 clinical study tested 20-20-20 reminders and reported reduced digital eye strain and dry-eye symptoms during the reminder period.
PubMed studyThe exact numbers aren't magic.
A 2023 peer-reviewed letter questioned whether the exact 20-20-20 numbers are fully justified. ShiftSight treats the rule as a habit, not a cure.
Optometry study
Simple takeaway
Looking away regularly is simple, low-friction, and much easier to keep
doing when your computer remembers for you.