Are You Still Working From Home? How Do Your Eyes Feel?
With the world spending a lot more time inside, we are looking to screens for work, entertainment and communication. We are heavily relying on technology for comfort and convenience, all while staying safe.
Although we’re looking after ourselves in the midst of COVID-19, how well are we looking after our eyes?
Our eyes are working each day to adjust to our new schedules of switching between a large computer screen for work, a medium television screen for binge watching and a small smartphone screen for endless doom-scrolling and staying connected with loved ones.
Now, this all makes perfect sense in today’s world. We need to stay connected and escape our work routine with films, reading & endless streams of social media… But digital eye strain can cause severe discomfort and damage to our health in the form of headaches, dry-eyes, blurred vision and disrupted sleep.
We can help minimise these daily discomforts through some easy WFH adaptations and self-care routines…
Together with Safilo, we have collaborated with some content-creators to share the benefits of Blue Light lenses!
& For a limited time only you can shop any of the featured optical looks with free prescription lenses. You will find the relevant discount code in the navigation bar above, just click 'offers'.
Although we’re looking after ourselves in the midst of COVID-19, how well are we looking after our eyes?
Our eyes are working each day to adjust to our new schedules of switching between a large computer screen for work, a medium television screen for binge watching and a small smartphone screen for endless doom-scrolling and staying connected with loved ones.
Now, this all makes perfect sense in today’s world. We need to stay connected and escape our work routine with films, reading & endless streams of social media… But digital eye strain can cause severe discomfort and damage to our health in the form of headaches, dry-eyes, blurred vision and disrupted sleep.
We can help minimise these daily discomforts through some easy WFH adaptations and self-care routines…
Together with Safilo, we have collaborated with some content-creators to share the benefits of Blue Light lenses!
& For a limited time only you can shop any of the featured optical looks with free prescription lenses. You will find the relevant discount code in the navigation bar above, just click 'offers'.
@camilacarril wearing Hugo Boss 1207 086 Glasses With Blue Light Lenses
Eye Care While Working From Home
- Rest Your Eyes
Striking the balance of being productive in your workplace can be tricky at home. Some of us opt for being glued to our desks, others may be productive snuggled up on the sofa. Either way, you need to give your eyes regular breaks. Your vision may start to blur if you continuously stare at one point, therefore it is so important to allow your vision to re-focus throughout the day.
Look away into the distance and give the muscles in your eyes a rest, either by looking out the window or around your house but ideally try and get outdoors as this will allow for some Vitamin D which is essential for your overall health.
- Blink
This may sound like common sense but it is actually very common for us to forget to blink when we are focusing on an object. When staring at a screen the number of times we blink per minute can dramatically drop and lead to dried out, itchy, eyes. This can lead to difficulty concentrating during the day and difficulty sleeping at night.
Striking the balance of being productive in your workplace can be tricky at home. Some of us opt for being glued to our desks, others may be productive snuggled up on the sofa. Either way, you need to give your eyes regular breaks. Your vision may start to blur if you continuously stare at one point, therefore it is so important to allow your vision to re-focus throughout the day.
Look away into the distance and give the muscles in your eyes a rest, either by looking out the window or around your house but ideally try and get outdoors as this will allow for some Vitamin D which is essential for your overall health.
- Blink
This may sound like common sense but it is actually very common for us to forget to blink when we are focusing on an object. When staring at a screen the number of times we blink per minute can dramatically drop and lead to dried out, itchy, eyes. This can lead to difficulty concentrating during the day and difficulty sleeping at night.
- Glasses
As an eyewear retailer you may now be thinking, when are they going to tell us to wear glasses… Well, now! If you require prescription lenses then it is so important that you wear them. Your eye-test will tell you exactly what your eyes need in order to improve your vision, comfort and focus. As well as detecting whether you are short or long sighted, eye tests importantly can also detect health issues such as colour blindness, astigmatism, cataracts, amblyopia (more commonly known as a lazy-eye) and even general health problems like diabetes. From here you will be prescribed a prescription for your eyes, and opticians can also recommend coatings such as blue light filtering lenses.
- Blue Light Lenses
You have probably seen ‘blue light’ as a buzzword all over the internet but what exactly is it? Blue light comes predominantly from sunlight however, there are many indoor, higher-concentrated, sources of blue light such as fluorescent and LED lighting. The most common being the display screens on our computers, smartphones, televisions and tablets. These digital devices emit significant amounts of concentrated blue light directly into our eyes with each use and our eyes do not cope very well with filtering the blue light. This can lead to the light rays travelling directly to our retinas which can cause light-sensitivity, macular degeneration, poor sleep quality, migraines and eye strain. Adding this coating to your prescription or non prescription lenses will block certain blue wavelengths from screens making them the ideal accessory for those who spend more than 3 to 4 hours a day online.
Now you know how to care for your eyes, we can look at how to support your home office set up...
Office Set Up While Working From Home
- Lighting
As previously mentioned above, you should try and get outside for some air and natural light. However, we know this isn’t possible and we are all working to minimise our time spent outdoors so instead perhaps opt for a workspace with natural light coming from a window or skylight? This way you will be able to glance out the window [allowing your eyes to rest] and gaining some much needed daylight which has been proven to improve your mood. Also, if your space is too dark you are more likely to strain your eyes which can lead to headaches…
- Screen Positioning
If your screen is too far from your eyes you will most likely squint and strain in order to see what you’re working on. Again, this leads to headaches. It also leads to tiredness as your eyes are working overtime to try and support you. You should aim for your screens to be approximately four to five inches below your eye level with easy access to adjust your set up throughout the day as your posture, surroundings and focus may change.
If your screen is too far from your eyes you will most likely squint and strain in order to see what you’re working on. Again, this leads to headaches. It also leads to tiredness as your eyes are working overtime to try and support you. You should aim for your screens to be approximately four to five inches below your eye level with easy access to adjust your set up throughout the day as your posture, surroundings and focus may change.
- Dark Mode
Dark mode is a popular feature on many technical devices, and we definitely recommend using it! This function works in a similar way to blue light lenses. You may notice Facebook, Twitter, Internet Explorer, Safari and Outlook all opt for blue coloured icons? This is because blue, more than any other colour, confuses our bodies by blocking a hormone called 'melatonin' which can make you feel tired. So, if we spend a lot of time staring at screens our bodies may artificially feel awake and subsequently we take longer to fall asleep. By activating ‘Night Mode’ or ‘Dark Mode’ the bright lights that are known to disrupt circadian rhythms, dim on our screens making each colour slightly easier on the eye. Activating this tool before finishing your working day can help you transition better from day to night and can lead to improved sleep quality.
We hope this helps your working from home set up, and if you have any concerns about your eyes or think you may require new glasses - speak to our team! Our live chat is available 24/7.
Big thank you to @camilacarril, @charlieirons and @lauraandersonx for partnering with us to share their WFH looks & how blue light lenses have helped them with Jimmy Choo, Hugo Boss and Eyewear by David Beckham.
Au Revoir,
PRET A VOIR
PRET A VOIR
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