Is staring at your computer screen having a negative effect on eye health?
Brits spend on average 11 hours a day looking at screens, a survey revealed yesterday. That’s 77.32 hours per week.
Screens seem to be taking over our lives as compared to the 77.32 hours a week we spend looking at computer, mobile, TV, tablet and e-reader screens, Brits reported that they only spend 12 hours 58 minutes spending quality time with their families, 10 hours and 16 minutes looking at their partner and a tiny 5 hours 44 minutes walking around outdoors.
While the jury may still be out on how much staring at screens will affect our eyesight, research has shown that while we concentrate on reading, playing computer games and watching videos our blink rate is reduced by a third.
This reduced blinking can leading to a higher rate of tear evaporation, one of the leading causes of dry eye syndrome which is also linked with another common eye complaint Blepharitis
Sarah Farrant, Dry Eye Specialist and partner at Earlam and Christopher Optometrists, Taunton explains: ‘The sheer amount that people are now spending looking at screens is worryingly high. While many people may not think the symptoms associated with these common eye complaints are serious, if left untreated these conditions can become chronic, and in some cases can lead to permanent damage to your eyes.
‘Dry Eye and Blepharitis generally become more prevalent as we get older and affect more women than men, but with the outcome of this research showing just how much we are using screens in our everyday lives we would expect the age of people being affected to start to decrease.’
The survey of over 2,000 Brit commissioned by Spectrum Thea eye care specialists found that over half (54.4%) of Brits polled agreed that they had suffered from symptoms associated with Dry Eye and Blepharitis.
In fact of the 16-24 year olds that were polled almost 52% said that they had experienced symptoms.
Almost a third of Brits (30.50%) said if they experienced symptoms of dry eyes or blepharitis, they would just look the symptoms up on the internet and a worrying 1 in 10 Brits (10.90%) said they would ignore the symptoms altogether.
As little as 1 in 20 Brits polled (6.20%) have never visited the opticians for an eye check-up, with the average Brit having visited the opticians 1 year and 11 months ago.
The survey by Spectrum Thea was commissioned to help raise awareness of the effect our modern lives could be having on our eyes and encourage more Brits to visit their local optician for a regular eye check.
Scott Mackie, Consultant Optometrist and founder of Mackie Opticians explains: ‘Many people think eye tests are just about checking for problems with sight, but when you visit your optician they will also look at the general health of your eyes.
‘Many of the most common eye complaints can be easily diagnosed and treated from home but if left untreated these conditions can lead to permanent damage to the eyes. It is essential people can identify these symptoms and seek the right help and advice before the problem gets worse and the damage more permanent. We would urge anyone experiencing any symptoms of diminished sight loss or eye infection to have a check-up with their local optometrist.’
Visit www.youreyehealth.co.uk for a quick and easy online symptoms checker to help determine if you may be suffering from Dry Eye or Blepharitis
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