Remember the good old days when your eyes had breaks from screens when you commuted to work or went out for lunch? With remote working becoming the new norm, screens have become our constant companions and eye care has never been so important.
We’ll explore the screen time explosion due to working from home and how it’s affecting employee eye health, as well as the importance of eye care in this digital age.
Prioritising Eye Care in the Never-Ending Screen Saga
Remember when “screen time” referred to binge-watching your favourite TV series over the weekend? Well, those days are gone!
The pandemic introduced a new era of remote working, which has meant screens have infiltrated our lives 24/7. People average 6 hours 58 minutes* of screen time per day. From virtual meetings to email marathons, and constant Zoom meetings, your eyes are working overtime. When you’re on your computer or in front of a digital screen of some sort, you engage just 1%* of your field of vision.
To get technical, the fovea, a tiny part of your retina where vision acuity is highest, does all the hard work while the rest of your vision is left unused. The result? Well, only using your close-up vision can cause a slight increase in the physical length of your eyes, ending in nearsightedness or myopia.
The rise of digital screens and remote working has resulted in a Myopia epidemic, which has become hard to ignore. A study has found that half of the world’s population* could be myopic by 2050! Not only this, but remote working can also lead to several other eye health concerns:
The Dry-Eye Dilemma
Spending hours glued to screens can turn your eyes into mini deserts. The result? The dreaded dry eye syndrome. So, instead of scrolling through your Instagram feed, you’re now scrolling through a list of eye drops, searching for relief.
Screen-time Slouch Syndrome
Remote working sometimes means you’re typing emails from your bed or watching webinars from the sofa. This newfound flexibility is great, but it often leads to poor posture and screen positions that cause eye strain . Before you know it, your eyes are working double-time, trying to focus on that blurry email.
The Glare Gloom
Home office setups often lack the professional lighting of the office. This can result in screens producing glares and reflections that your eyes have to battle.
So, what can be done about this screen time madness?
Enter blue light lenses
If we say eye tests or eye care, many people immediately think of prescription glasses. However, there are other solutions to help protect your eyesight whether you need a prescription or not.
Blue light lenses are an innovative solution to help protect your eyes and improve your overall visual comfort when sitting in front of screens. Wearing these lenses allows you to enjoy digital devices without the discomfort or potential risks of prolonged screen time. They can also be customised for prescription and non-prescription glasses.
As well as blue light lenses, there are several other steps you can take to protect your eyes in the digital boom:
- Regular Eye Exams: Regular eye exams can detect any issues early on. Preventive care is critical to maintaining eye health in the digital age.
- Prescription Lenses: If your screen-time-induced myopia (nearsightedness) has you squinting at spreadsheets, your eye care benefits can cover prescription lenses tailored to your needs.
- 20-20-20: The “20-20-20” rule is a simple eye care guideline to remember. Take a break every 20 minutes from staring at your screen for 20 seconds and look at something 20 feet away. And if you want to add another 20 onto the list, you can make a conscious effort to blink your eyes about 20 times to help refresh and moisturise your eyes to prevent dryness and discomfort.
Remote working and increased screen time have undoubtedly impacted our eye health. However, with the right eye care, we can ensure that our eyes stay as sharp as our Zoom presentations.
Whether you’re in your pyjamas or business attire, don’t forget to take care of your eyes as you navigate this new era of remote work. If you want to find out how EyeMed’s managed vision care plans can help your employees protect their eyes while they work from home, then contact us today.