How has lockdown affected your eyes?

With many of us currently on furlough or working from home, has the extra time in front of the TV, laptop or iPad had an impact on your eyes? Millions of Brits could be suffering from eye problems dubbed ‘coronavision’ after feeling that their sight has deteriorated during lockdown, according to a study by the College of Optometrists.

Perhaps, inevitably as you have been forced to stay at home more, you have done more reading, puzzles (crosswords, Sudoku, wordsearch etc), or craft (including painting, card-making, model-making etc). Has working from home meant you have spent longer hours in front of a smaller screen, with subsequent extra stress on your eyes?

Many patients of ours have reported more eye strain during the 3 months of lockdown, which seems to be a result of doing different tasks to those you are normally used to and for longer periods of time. One in five adults in the country say they think their vision has become worse in the past four months, with one in three blaming it on too much screen time.

If you think your eyes are feeling the strain of lockdown; you are getting blurry vision, difficulty focusing or you are suffering more headaches particularly when reading or using a screen, then contact us to arrange a check-up.

It may simply mean that you need your glasses updating, need more lighting, or modifications to your workstation. Additionally, the extra strain on everyone’s lives during the Coronavirus pandemic can cause minor eye symptoms to be exaggerated into a much bigger issue, and a check-up and reassurance may be all that is needed.

The College of Optometrists, who commissioned an independent study of 2,000 people, warned: If you have symptoms get your eyes checked;

• 22% of Brits noticed their vision get worse during lockdown
• 32% believe that spending more time in front of a screen has worsened their eyesight
• But over half of Brits are concerned about contracting coronavirus from visiting their optician.

We understand people’s concerns, but want to reassure everyone that we are following very stringent safety measures from our Professional Bodies and Government to keep our staff and patients as safe as possible.

Please don’t neglect any visual symptoms you may be experiencing; we would always recommend that you give us a ring to discuss any problems and book a check-up so we can fully investigate the cause and advise you accordingly. Phone us on 0115 9332999 – are always willing to try and help.