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May 2023 |
How Does “Work from Home” Impact the Ocular Surface? |
April Jasper, OD, FAAO |
The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society (TFOS) Workshop, entitled “A Lifestyle Epidemic: Ocular Surface Disease,” was undertaken to establish the direct and indirect impacts that everyday lifestyle choices and challenges have on ocular surface health. The “TFOS lifestyle: Impact of societal challenges on the ocular surface” report1 reviewed many of these elements and can give us good information to consider, not only when screening for and diagnosing ocular surface disease, but also when counseling patients regarding areas they can improve upon to decrease their symptoms and improve their health.
One area that stood out to me from the report was the possible impact of working from home on ocular surface disease. Specifically, the authors said, “The systematic review established that the COVID-19 pandemic and the various mitigating strategies or their consequences, including increased screen time and online learning were associated with an increased risk of developing new or worsening pre-existing ocular surface diseases. Given the longer-term changes in remote or flexible work and study practices, it seems reasonable to assume that increased frequency and severity of these conditions will persist beyond the immediate pandemic.”1
My next thought after reading that was to consider how big of a problem this development could be in this post-COVID world. What is the actual number of people working from home who are at higher risk?
Stanford’s monthly study on working from home, which surveys 10,000 workers across cities and industries, found that 27% of paid full-time days were worked from home in early 2023.2 Much of that remote work came from hybrid setups. Last month, the survey found that 12% of workers were fully remote, roughly 60% were fully in-person and 28% were hybrid.2
Then TheHill.com added this knowledge: “The COVID-19 pandemic transformed the American workplace. The share of all work performed at home rose from 4.7 percent in January 2019 to 61 percent in May 2020. Some economists consider the remote-work boom the greatest change to the labor market since World War II. ‘It’s affected so many things,’ said Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford University economist and WFH researcher. ‘It’s affected city structure. It’s affecting days of the week that people play sport: golf, tennis. It’s affecting retail. It’s completely skewed, mostly in a positive way, the American economy.’”3
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Working from home is also likely to continue. Economists say that most companies are going to continue to offer at least hybrid work options for employees to be competitive in this digital world.
As we consider this data, it is safe to conclude that more people are spending more time working from home on digital devices than ever before. Along with increased use of digital devices, we see decreased blink rates and increased meibomian gland dysfunction, which begin a cycle of signs and symptoms that, for many, can and will continue to get worse without our intervention.
We have asked our patients for years about the time they spend on computers, the number of monitors they use and the setup of both. As I adapt to this remote-work boom in our practices, I plan to ask every patient about their work habits. My goal is to not only make certain that I educate them regarding ocular surface disease, but also to prescribe the best options for vision correction.
Thank you to all of those who participated in this workshop and reported the results. I look forward to learning more and transforming this valuable information into actionable items for my practice.
References:
1. Stapleton F, Abad JC, Barabino S, et al. TFOS lifestyle: impact of societal challenges on the ocular surface. Ocul Surf. 2023 Apr;28:165-199. doi:10.1016/j.jtos.2023.04.006
2. Barrero JM, Bloom N, Davis SJ. 2021. Why working from home will stick. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper 28731. www.wfhresearch.com
3. De Visé D. Nearly 30 percent of work remains remote as workers dig in. The Hill. February 20, 2023. Accessed May 2, 2023. https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3862069-nearly-30-percent-of-work-remains-remote-as-workers-dig-in/
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Dr. April Jasper graduated from Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry with highest honors in 1995. She is the owner of Advanced Eyecare Specialists in West Palm Beach, FL. Dr. Jasper completed her residency in primary care, ocular disease and contact lenses in Boston, MA where she also held a position as adjunct professor at NEWENCO. Dr. Jasper has served her patients and colleagues as president of the Florida Optometric Association 2016-2017. She continues to share her knowledge and expertise around the world authoring numerous publications, lecturing and as chief editor of Optometric Management magazine.
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