Since the outbreak of COVID-19 Most companies around the world have implemented a Work From Home policy that allows employees to work from home. to reduce travel and reduce the risk of contracting the disease and spreading COVID-19. At first, this policy seems to be a short-term policy that has been implemented for a short time. to wait for the situation to improve But until today, almost 2 full years have passed. Many companies still have to use this policy. because of the COVID-19 outbreak There is no sign of improvement. until he began to see long-term problems related to the eye health of the operators
Work from Home, extend working hours
One of the reasons people who work from home use their eyes to their computer screens more than they do in the office. Because the scope of the break period is unclear. It was found that working from home often had fewer breaks than working at the office. There must also be a meeting through the screen. I can’t take my eyes off the computer screen. until the occurrence of eye disease Especially the symptoms of seeing dark shadows floating around. or seeing a flash of light like a flash
Dr Wesley Chong from the Singapore National Eye Center said that when working at the office Most of the time, when taking a break, colleagues will invite each other out to dinner or coffee to take a break from the screen. But when you have to work from home In addition to having to stare at the screen When taking a break, they still have to contact the work via the mobile phone screen instead. In addition, the home environment may not be conducive to working for very long periods of time. Depending on the limitations of each home, for example, employees may have smaller computer screens. or have to work from an iPad and the light may not be enough
While Dr. David Chan, Senior Consultant Eye Surgery at the Atlas ophthalmology center One of the factors that harm the eye health of people who work from home. is to work that does not fix the time make the working time longer because there is no clear time to start or finish work Makes the eyes have to work hard affect vision Even face-to-face communication has to be turned into screen talks. The longer the screen time. Or even relaxing at home, most people will watch the screen of a tablet, mobile phone or watch TV in their spare time. These are all affecting all eye health problems.
Dr Chan said that from June 2020 to May of this year, The Center specializes in ophthalmology. It was found that the number of patients increased by 20 percent, with symptoms of eye strain, dry eyes, and dark shadows. This is mostly caused by staring at the screen for a long time. without proper braking By focusing on the screen People will blink less. and can cause dry eyes As for those who wear masks and go out to work. Wearing a mask can cause dry eyes. Because the wind from the top of the mask hit the eye.
Eye strain is caused by working in an environment with insufficient light. focusing on reading small text or the screen is too small It was found that people who work with bright screens or with a bright background, such as a word program or a spreadsheet, are most likely to experience floating shadows.
Behavior changed from the epidemic
The coronavirus pandemic has forced people to work from home by staring at screens for a long time. including wearing a mask all the time until steam builds up on the glasses This makes it a major obstacle to the vision of people who wear eyeglasses. You will see the number of people requesting surgery. or LASIK so that you don’t have to wear a lot of eyeglasses. In addition, from the factor that people do not travel to travel due to travel restrictions. give them time And enough money left to take care of yourself like eye surgery during this period.
In addition, information from Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of contact lenses. Also found changes in the behavior of people who wear contact lenses. from the original that may be used monthly or weekly Instead, switch to daily contact lenses for better hygiene and cleanliness.
impact on students
Ms. Shui Wen Juan, Vice President of the Singapore Association of Opticians It states that there is a tendency for children and young people to have vision problems that need to wear more glasses. This is partly due to online learning for a long time. including caused by the Covid-19 epidemic, causing students not to regularly check their eyesight as they should be. including the lack of outdoor activities Having to stay in the house, keeping the kids away from the screen of the tablet or computer. Make children more likely to be nearsighted.
How can I protect my eyes?
Experts advise that resting your eyes, frequent blinking. including the placement of electronic equipment to the right way All of them can help protect eyesight. by taking a break from the screen This is done by looking at a distance of at least 3 meters or even further. for a period of approximately 20 seconds to 20 minutes.
While Dr Wesley Chong from the National Eye Center of Singapore recommends setting up a computer screen 5-40 degrees below your eye level. And setting the screen about 2 feet away is the level that is most suitable and comfortable for the eyes and neck. and to prevent our eyesight from getting worse You should take yourself out to get some air and stretch outside.
Dr. Natasha Lim, owner of the eye clinic, said that when we use a computer screen or a smartphone Blink rate automatically decreases from normal every 15 seconds to blink every 2-3 minutes instead, so people who have to sit in front of the screen for long periods of time should remind themselves to blink more often. Also, artificial tears should be used in the eyes to moisturize and protect the cornea. Because leaving the eyes dry can cause blurred vision. Dr. Lim also compared eye care and skin care to us that they are similar. “If you don’t take care of your skin let the skin dry As you get older, a lot of wrinkles appear. moisturizing the skin It will make your skin look healthy. as well as eyes If care is taken to prevent dry eyes It will still have good eye health. It is clearly visible with age,” she said.
Sources: Channel News Asia, The Independent, The Health Site
