Protecting your eye health when you work from home

Modern ways of working are taking their toll on all aspects of our wellbeing. Our use of devices, exposure to light, and even our posture are particularly impacting the health of our eyes.

Optometrist, Harpreet Kular explains how you can protect your eye health when you work from home, examining eye strain, dry eyes, blue light, and overall eye comfort.

How can increased use of screens affect our eyes?

We often don’t realise how much we take for granted in our lives until something becomes remiss and then… we really feel it!  For years we just look around, see things clearly and don’t give our eyes much thought. Until we start to have a problem. Irritable eyes, excessive blinking, tired eyes and lack of focus and clarity are all common issues people bring to the attention of their optometrists. 

Digital eye strain is also known as Computer Vision Syndrome and the two terms are equally known in the eyecare world.

The Digital Comfort Survey, commissioned by Johnson & Johnson Vision, found that, of people in the UK who wear vision correction, 81% use five different digital screens per day and two thirds indicated that the role of screens is detrimental to their eye comfort.

Digital Eye Strain is more prevalent than ever before due to our increased use of devices and screens in our daily lives. Not just visual display units (VDU) in the workplace, but also using our phones and tablets throughout the day.

Common symptoms of Digital Eye Strain

• Tired eyes
• Eyes feeling strained
• Blurry vision
• Dry eyes
• Headaches
• Shoulder and neck pain

There are a few things you can do to help alleviate symptoms of Digital Eye Strain.