EyeRelief

A macOS menu bar app that helps prevent eye strain using the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Features

• Customizable Intervals - Choose between 15, 20, 30, 45-minute or 1-hour work sessions
• Adjustable Break Duration - 5, 10, or 20-second look-away timers
• Full-Screen Overlay - Gentle reminder that blocks your screen during breaks
• Menu Bar Integration - Live countdown timer always visible in your menu bar
• Sound Notifications - Choose from Chime, Bell, or Gentle alert sounds
• Launch at Startup - Automatically start protecting your eyes when you log in
• Streak Tracking - Track your daily streak and total breaks taken
• Skip Option - Skip a break when you're in the middle of something important
• Modern UI - Clean, frosted glass interface with T1 Red accent color

Installation

Homebrew (Recommended)

The easiest way to install - no quarantine issues!

brew tap gearupstudios/tap
brew install --cask eyerelief

Download DMG

1. Go to the Releases page
2. Download the latest EyeRelief.dmg
3. Open the DMG and drag EyeRelief to your Applications folder
4. Remove quarantine (one-time, in Terminal):

   xattr -cr /Applications/EyeRelief.app

5. Launch EyeRelief from Applications

Build from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/gearupstudios/EyeRelief.git
cd EyeRelief

# Build the app
./build_app.sh

# Or build with DMG
./build_app.sh --dmg

# Build and launch
./build_app.sh --launch

Requirements:

• macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) or later
• Xcode Command Line Tools (xcode-select --install)

Usage

1. Start the Timer - Click "Start" to begin your work session
2. Work - The timer counts down in your menu bar
3. Take a Break - When the timer ends, a full-screen overlay reminds you to look away
4. Look Away - Focus on something 20 feet away for the break duration
5. Repeat - The timer automatically restarts after each break

Settings

• Interval: How long between breaks (15/20/30/45 min or 1 hour)
• Look Away: How long each break lasts (5/10/20 seconds)
• Sound: Enable/disable and choose notification sound
• Launch at Startup: Auto-start with your Mac

The 20-20-20 Rule

The 20-20-20 rule is recommended by eye care professionals to reduce digital eye strain:

Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

This simple practice helps:

• Reduce eye fatigue
• Prevent dry eyes
• Minimize headaches from screen time
• Maintain better focus throughout the day

Tech Stack

• SwiftUI - Modern declarative UI framework
• AppKit - Native macOS integration
• UserNotifications - System notification support
• Combine - Reactive state management

Project Structure

EyeRelief/
├── EyeReliefApp.swift      # App entry point
├── ContentView.swift        # Main UI
├── AppDelegate.swift        # App lifecycle & notifications
├── BreakOverlayView.swift   # Full-screen break overlay
├── build_app.sh             # Build script
├── Models/
│   ├── TimerManager.swift       # Timer logic
│   ├── NotificationManager.swift # System notifications
│   ├── OverlayManager.swift     # Break overlay window
│   ├── MenuBarManager.swift     # Menu bar integration
│   ├── SettingsManager.swift    # User preferences
│   ├── StatsManager.swift       # Streak & stats tracking
│   └── LaunchAtLoginManager.swift # Startup launch
├── Resources/
│   ├── AppIcon.icns         # App icon
│   └── AppIcon.svg          # Icon source
└── Scripts/
    ├── create_icon.sh       # Icon generation
    └── generate_icon.py     # Python icon generator

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

---

Developed by Gear Up Studios