LL LIFE
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
I
t has been more than eight months since the UK first went into lockdown and we have now entered lockdown 2.0, meaning eight months of Zoom calls, eight hours a day on your work computer and Netflix binges which inevitably are going to put a strain on your eyesight. Online glasses retailer Glasses Direct has discovered that one in five Brits believe their vision has declined during lockdown. The survey only revealed results from adults, but what about children’s eyesight? Has their eyesight been affected in a similar way and what can be done to prevent any further damage? Veronica Tang, 24, has been a qualified optician for two years. She studied at Manchester University and then went on to do a pre-reg training program with Specsavers. She has already noticed changes in her young patients. “I have realised that since lockdown a lot of kids have come in needing eye tests as since returning to school they are struggling to see the board. They have become a lot more short sighted.” There are many studies that show a relationship between reading up close
Are lockdown habits damaging our vision? LOLA ROBERTS speaks to an optician about the reliance on computerised screens while we are stuck at home and its damage to our health and short sightedness. Veronica, who works at Specsavers in Huyton, added: “Our eyes are not made to look up close for a long period of time, there are a lot of studies in Asia that say anything close up will cause short sightedness as your eyes are only designed to look into the distance.” Shortsightedness does not tend to be corrected, meaning it is vital to try and prevent damage to your eyesight as much as possible. Veronica offered her advice and said: “I’d recommend to spend 20 minutes outdoors a day. There is also a 20 second rule, so every 20 minutes you are looking close up you need to look outside or in the distance for 20 seconds. This doesn’t prevent
‘Our eyes are not made to look up close for a long period of time’ shortsightedness, but it might slow it down.” As children can stay in school this time around screen time mayfortunately be lower for them, however, for older students currently at university their whole degree will be studied online, which will could affect their eye health. Veronica said: “I assume they will have more headaches because
they are constantly studying, if this includes you then you need to take regular breaks, stay hydrated and try to look from farther away.” Veronica added that the most important thing is to take regular breaks and she urged everyone who is concerned about headaches to have an eye test to ensure there is no underlying prescription that could be causing them.
Photo by Kalea Jerielle on Unsplash Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash
13
