Is your job hurting your eyesight? Most employees say vision problems impact their productivity, new survey finds

The eyes might be the window to the soul, but how their overall health impacts our own souls is rarely discussed.

VSP Vision Care, an eye insurance company, partnered with Workplace Intelligence to survey 800 HR leaders and 800 full-time employees in the United States about the state of their eye health. Here are the key findings:

• We live on our screens: In a typical week, employees report spending 97 hours on screens, which translates to 210 days a year. Thirty-four of these hours are on a computer for work, 17 on a computer for personal use, 23 hours watching TV, and 23 hours on a cellphone.
• The majority of people have at least one eye problem: 63% of respondents reported at least one eye issue, an increase from last year’s 50%. Meanwhile, 73% reported wearing contacts or glasses, an increase from 67% last year. The most common issues were blurred vision (41%), dry or itchy eyes (24%), and eye strain or fatigue (23%).
• This is taking a toll on work and personal life: 69% of respondents said that eye problems are impacting their ability to be productive, 60% said eye problems impacted their ability to focus, and 46% said the problems took a toll on their mental health.

The survey included a range of employees across generations and types of work arrangements, including on-site, hybrid, and remote work. All survey participants used a computer or laptop for work at least “sometimes,” according to the study’s methodology.

As Kristi Cappelletti-Matthews, chief human resources officer at VSP Vision, noted in the report, “[When] you consider the importance of our vision and its link to our health and day-to-day work, it’s imperative that there’s a collective effort to support better workplace health through exceptional vision care.”

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