Flatsch

Many eye-related health issues can be attributed to not blinking often enough, which generally happens when staring at a computer screen for extended periods. Trying to remember to blink regularly doesn’t usually work, but there are programs out there that can help you out.

Flatsch is one of the tools that can come to your aid. It displays text or a symbol on your screen at regular intervals, reminding you to blink as often as is necessary. It can also play sound effects, and it can be customized to a great extent.

The application works by displaying either some text or a fish symbol on your screen every few seconds. A sound alert can accompany this notification, and it can be viewed on top of all other windows.

The idea is that, when you see this notification, you will blink and keep your eyes healthy. However, we feel that the default interval is too low, as you will surely remember to blink regularly for a while after the message is displayed. Fortunately, this interval is customizable.

From the settings, you can change the background color (the background is transparent by default), the text’s opacity, how long the message is displayed, the fade in and fade out times, font size and position.

You can replace the default text with any other message, as well as insert an image or sound file to change the alternative fish picture and audio effect. To do so, however, you need to replace the files in the program’s directory.

Flatsch can definitely prove helpful if you have problems with dry eyes, as it will remind you to blink regularly. The default settings might not be suitable for most users, but pretty much every parameter can be customized, though the fish image and sound effect are rather difficult to replace.