Posted by: Manhattan LASIK Center

Eye care professionals associate the use of digital screens with a wide range of eye conditions. Digital screens are included on smart devices, mobile phones, computers, and televisions. During the coronavirus pandemic, different groups of people adapted and are still adapting to increased screen time.
 

How Will COVID-19 Affect Your Health?

No one knows when things will return to normal. Amid this upheaval, most people are facing many unknowns.

For example, how will most people live, work, and prosper in the post-pandemic future? Other questions you may ask yourself include:
 

  • How is the COVID-19 pandemic reshaping the world?
  • How is it affecting healthcare?
  • What is the impact of a digital work-life on your health, particularly the health of your eyes?

Digital Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, most governments, institutions, and businesses started enforcing a lockdown. They imposed certain requirements as part of their containment strategy.
 

The COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the resulting lockdowns, forced millions of workers to work from home. More people today are working from home using their computers and other digital devices than ever before. Consequently, the digital work-life unraveled some of its negative effects, especially for those who use contact lenses.
 

Computer Vision Syndrome

Also known as digital eyestrain, computer vision syndrome describes a variety of vision and eye-related issues resulting from prolonged use of digital devices. Due to the digital work-life necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever before are spending hours every day staring at a digital screen.
 

Staring at a digital screen for a long time makes your eyes work harder. Consequently, the high visual demands and unique characteristics of your digital device might make you more susceptible to various vision-related symptoms.
 

Common Symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome

The most common symptoms of digital eye strain include:
 

Tips for Contact Lens Users

Nowadays, millions of Americans are spending several hours each day staring at digital screens due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They are viewing, reading, typing, and performing other types of jobs using different types of digital media with an illuminated screen.
 

If you use contact lenses, you may experience increased eye sensitivity after staring at a digital screen for prolonged periods. This increased sensitivity can make your contact lenses intolerable. When you stare at a digital screen for hours, your rate of blinking will reduce. This may lead to eyestrain, irritation, dryness, and even fatigue. If you wear contacts and your eyes have suffered as a result of the increased screen time, you may benefit from laser vision correction surgery at our Roslyn location.
 

There are other things you can do to relieve eye discomfort. These include making a conscious effort to blink more often to prevent your contact lenses from drying out, staying hydrated, and positioning your digital screen away from the window to reduce glare. Taking a short break every 20 minutes or so should also help limit eye fatigue and relieve eyestrain. However, pursuing laser vision correction surgery would be a more controlled, permanent, and effective solution.

To learn more about the effects of a digital work-life on people who wear contact lenses, and see if you’re a candidate for laser vision correction as a solution, call Manhattan LASIK Center at our office in Roslyn, New York at (516) 461-2300 today to schedule a free virtual consultation today!