I am used to working from home, having based myself from home for over 25 years, both in my headhunting career and in running Fab after Fifty. However, the past 12 months of working from home has been so different. I have never spent so much time looking at a screen!
In the past being based from home still involved me going to off site meetings and events. Telephone calls gave me a break from screen time, but during the pandemic Zoom calls became the norm – so natural breaks from my screen no longer exist.
By the end of the day I definitely have eye fatigue and my eyes feel quite dry and itchy – prompting me to rub them which is a definite ‘no no ‘ at a time when we are all being told to touch our faces less because of the virus!
So what causes dry eyes?
There are a number of factors that come into play when looking at screens all day especially in winter with the drying effect of central heating.
Apparently normally we blink 15 to 20 times a minute, but when we are looking at a screen (or concentrating while driving) we only blink 3 to 5 times a minute. Quite a difference which means the eyes are far less lubricated as less blinking means evaporation of tears leading to dry eyes.
Also, natural hormonal changes that occur during menopause can impact our eyes as they affect the production of lipids and mucus which impacts the tear film in our eyes.
So what can we do to combat this? I have conducted a little bit of research ?
Firstly take regular screen breaks – every 20 minutes take a break from your screen.
Stay hydrated and sip water throughout the day.
Adjust your screen height. If you sit with your screen at eye level your eyes are more ‘open’ , so the tears evaporate more. Adjusting the screen so that you have to look down at an angle to view helps to compensate for this.
Adjust your diet – ensure that you have sufficient intake of Vitamin A and Omega 3 ?
Use appropriate eye drops to help boost hydration.
I was asked if I would like to try the Artelac range of eye drops from Bausch and Lomb designed to increase eye comfort. There are three products in the range Protect, Night, and Every Day. I chose to use the Every Day drops. They are very easy to use and felt instantly soothing helping my eyes feel more refreshed and ready to do battle with more screen time!
They have certainly made a difference in terms of personal comfort. However, they are not medicinal and if you do have concerns with any ongoing issues do see your doctor or optometrist.
Even with the loosening of Covid restrictions, the days of working from home for many us and Zoom calls are here to stay, so taking care of our eyes should be high on the priority list.
Artelac eye drops are now part of my daily working from home routine .
Use appropriate eye drops to help boost hydration.
I was asked if I would like to try the Artelac range of eye drops from Bausch and Lomb designed to increase eye comfort. There are three products in the range Protect, Night, and Every Day. I chose to use the Every Day drops. They are very easy to use and felt instantly soothing helping my eyes feel more refreshed and ready to do battle with more screen time!
They have certainly made a difference in terms of personal comfort. However, they are not medicinal and if you do have concerns with any ongoing issues do see your doctor or optometrist.
Even with the loosening of Covid restrictions, the days of working from home for many us and Zoom calls are here to stay, so taking care of our eyes should be high on the priority list.
Artelac eye drops are now part of my daily working from home routine .
With online shopping also being the norm at the moment, they are available from Amazon.
#ad #Artelac www.artelac.co.uk
Ceri Wheeldon
Ceri is Founder and Editor of Fabafterfifty.co.uk She is a frequent speaker at events and in the media on topics related to women over 50 , including style and living agelessly. With 20+ years experience as a headhunter Ceri also now helps support those looking to extend their working lives.
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