Are your eyes feeling more strained then usual? 👀

20th January 2021

EYE strain and other sight-related issues have increased significantly since the first pandemic lockdown as new research finds 42% of people have noticed their sight deteriorate since March 2020.

This is almost double the number of people noticing sight deterioration during the first lockdown (22%), as reported by the College of Optometrists.

Yet, the new study by high street opticians Specsavers shows that nearly half (44%) of those suffering any deterioration are yet to address the issue and see an optician.

This supports a recent YouGov survey by the charity Fight for Sight, which also found more people experiencing headaches and migraines, as well as difficulty reading and poorer night vision.

Giles Edmonds, Specsavers clinical services director, says: ‘It’s important that anyone noticing a change in their vision gets it seen to right away. While usually this is down to a change in prescription or from our eyes feeling tired, in other cases it can be something more serious.

He advises to:

Follow the 20:20:20 rule: look up from your screen every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Looking into the distance helps relax the focusing muscles of your eyes, which in turn reduces eye fatigue.     ·        

Adjust your workstation: Adjusting your screen settings to ensure that the brightness and contrast are balanced correctly can help, as well as making fonts larger. Also be mindful of how your workstation is positioned. Adjust your screen so it is 15-20 degrees below eye level and around 50-70cm away from the eyes and make sure your room is properly lit to avoid squinting.

Reduce glare: Reflections on your computer screen can cause glare and lead to eye strain. Try reducing this by attaching an anti-glare screen to your monitor or windows to avoid external light shining onto the screen. Glasses wearers can also have lenses treated with an anti-glare coating, such as Specsavers UltraClear SuperClean, to help limit the impact of light reflections on your eyes to reduce eye strain. They are also smudge and scratch resistant, which help to give an overall clearer view of your screen too

Update your lenses to suit your lifestyle: Those who wear varifocals could also consider special lenses such as Specsavers’ SuperDigital lenses. Unlike traditional varifocals, the near vision zone in SuperDigital lenses is designed to cater for the way we hold our phones, making it easier to transition between viewing screens and looking further away. This is because phones are generally held at a closer, higher position that can be difficult to adjust to.

For more information or to request an appointment.