Don't let Covid ruin YOUR VISION

Here’s how to make sure you look after your eyes while lockdowns and restrictions change our lifestyles and make it less easy to seek help for problems

- TANYA PEAREY

During the current pandemic, it’s not always been easy to see the way forward. But that might be as much due to the impact on our eyesight as the confusion and uncertainty about the future.

Around one in five of us thinks our eyesight has deteriorated during the lockdown, according to a recent survey by the College of Optometrists, perhaps partly because of more time spent indoors in front of a screen, but also a reluctance to seek help with eye problems.

How to help

Get outside and exercise daily if you can. Physical activity and exposure to vitamin D can all help eye health, and it’s good to have a break from near focus – such as staring at a screen. Focusing like this can reduce your blink rate, leading to dry eyes.

The Royal College of Ophthalmologists estimates that at least 10,000 people in England, Wales, and Scotland have already missed out on essential care for their vision during the pandemic lockdown and ongoing restrictions.

Hospitals say that patients haven’t been attending the most urgent eye appointments, and a study from University College London found that eye clinics reported a 705 reduction in new referrals during the first few months of lockdown. Opticians have even named the condition – Coronavision.