According to Specsavers, since the Covid pandemic had us all working from home, eye strain issues have been on the rise. Now, 1 in 3 people are reporting noticing deterioration in their eyesight[i] as a result of increased screen use during the pandemic. This phenomenon has been lovingly dubbed ‘coronavision’.

Of course, some of this may simply be too much box set binging. But at least some is likely to be from more people working from home and, without the right working set-up, experiencing eye strain.

This could explain the increase of 82% in web searches for ‘Bloodshot eyes’. Or the increase of 49% in web searches for ‘eye pain’[ii].

While eye healthcare providers recommend less screen time as being the holy grail of eye case, it’s not always possible. So, when working from home, or, in fact, from the office, the next best option is to reduce eye strain as much as possible with these easy steps:

1. Position your screen at the right height. You can do this inexpensively using books or boxes to raise your screen, but the screen risers we stock at BPF Online are competitively prices, which means investing to get the right height and positioning for your office comfort makes complete sense.

Whatever you choose to use, position your computer screen 20- 24 inches from your eyes with the centre of the screen 10-15 degrees below your eye line.

The downside of using boxes to achieve the correct monitor height is that you lose desk space. Monitor arms can be useful to achieve the right height, without reducing available workstation space. Some arms, like our G70-series monitor arm, offer complete versatility of screen positioning, so a screen can easily be positioned and repositioned for whoever is using the desk. For users who prefer two screens or those who need to reference additional information, a dual monitor mount is available. This simply clamps to the table. Alternatively, we stock dual monitor mounts which use an existing 10mm grommet hole in a desk.

2. Position your screen away from any glare. Use curtains or blinds or even some shelves or desk screens to shield yourself from the window if you need to, just avoid the sun bouncing off your screen as this will make it more difficult for your eyes and they will become fatigued faster.
3. You could also reduce the glare with settings on your screen that can help you adjust the contrast and brightness to suit you.

If you have any questions about our screen risers, our friendly advisors will be able to help you. You can chat with a BPF Online product advisor through our website, or call us on 0844 7766800.

[i] Specsavers Hindsight Report.  Eye and hearing care trends during COVID-19 | Specsavers UK

[ii] Specsavers Hindsight Report  Eye and hearing care trends during COVID-19 | Specsavers UK