Despite Covid-19 cases in the country being at an all-time low, people have continued to work from home at unprecedented levels.
Although remote work has been on the rise for some time now, up until the pandemic, the trend was relatively slow.
Covid-19 changed all of that as governments enacted stay-at-home orders, and companies moved to telework to help slow the spread of the virus.
Mark Muoki, the Talent and Hiring manager in East Africa for Lapaire Group, told The Nile Post in an interview that the majority of hiring managers plan to keep more of their workforce remote going forward.
“With this factor in mind, we believe that remote work is hastening a shift that reduces hiring, screening, and monitoring costs for managers and lessens burdens on workers to understand firm-specific context. A few important changes have brought us here,” Muoki said.
He said remote work and tools like Slack have forced companies to better define tasks, codifying processes and specifications, making it easier to write specifications that a worker with little firm-specific knowledge can understand, which can enable opening up a company.”
But with more remote work also comes more screen time.
Should we be worried about the eye health and sleep patterns of all of these new remote workers who are now spending more time on their electronic devices?
In the current digital world, technology has taken over people’s lives. Digital gadgets especially phones, computers and tablets have become central to daily activities that people engage in, for work as well as leisure or even for education purposes.
Eye health experts caution that spending too much time with these digital devices is contributing to a health crisis.
Mercy Ndinyo, an optometrist at Lapaire Uganda noted that there has been an increased demand for eye care and health services over the past two years, attributing this to working from home, which meant people spending more time on their screens.
“This has increased demand for computer protective glasses as patients come complaining of other eyesight related issues,” Ndinyo told this website.
Patience Ahumuza, a digital communications consultant says that she spends about 14 hours in front of a computer every day.
“I am shortsighted which means I am unable to see things clearly unless they are relatively close to the eyes. Since the hit of Covid-19, my work became completely digital and I had more clients so I would spend about 14hrs in front of a computer,” she said, in an interview with Nile Post.
“It was great in the beginning until I started having blurry vision and severe headaches even when I put on my eyeglasses. I visited my Optician to have a comprehensive Eye test because I was suspecting a change in my prescriptions only to be told that I had developed Computer vision syndrome,” said Ahumuza.
What are the solutions to digital eye strain?
The obvious answer, according to Ndinyo is to stop looking at screens, but that’s simply not possible for most people.
She acknowledges that many jobs involve working on computers and the widespread use of smartphones means we’re not putting our screens down anytime soon.
Fortunately, Ndinyo says that there is new lens technology that helps to protect against the harmful effects of screens; they are referred to as computer glasses.
She says that using these and taking measures to help reduce the risks of eye strain (outlined at the end of this article) will help prevent the adverse effects on your eyes of living in the digital age.
Lapaire, the pan African Eyewear Company is set to launch an awareness campaign on blue light to educate the community on its impact of blue lights and computer vision syndromes to the eyes as well as offer a discount of 15% Off on all Photochromic blue-light blocking glasses for a duration period of one month starting from May 1st to May 31st, 2022.
How do photochromic blue light blocking glasses work ?
Photochromatic, blue light blocking glasses contain a two in one lens. They combine photochromic lenses which help block the UV rays from the sun and reduce the exposure to sunlight.
They tint when outside during the day and are clear indoors.
The second part of the lens is the blue light filter which filters out blue light emitted by screens making it comfortable for screen users to use their devices comfortably for long hours in a day, according to Ndinyo.
Since over exposure to blue light has been known to affect our circadian rhythm, using photochromic blue light filtering glasses may also improve your ability to sleep better at night, which makes you feel better during the day.
How do I know if I have digital eye strain?
Some of the vision problems associated with the use of computers have been attributed to poor ergonomic factors compliance.
According to the data published by African journal Online, It is estimated that anywhere between 75 to 90 percent of computer users suffer from digital eye strain.
Many of those reported experiencing symptoms of digital eye strain, which may include: Blurred or double vision
● Dry, red or watery eyes
● Eye irritation or soreness
● Increased sensitivity to light
● Loss of focus
● Headaches
● Insomnia
