WFH and eye problems

[Dodgyeyes]

Don't know why I'm even posting this just want a bit of a rant I suppose. I managed to not WFH at all during covid (frontline NHS) but now I've moved jobs where there is likely to be a lot of screen time now the guidance has changed to WFH.
However I'm having significant visual difficulties after so much screen time and waiting on an opthalmologist to start treatment in Jan. I can't change posts as this is my dream job, just feeling v v fed up

I'm nit sure I get your your point. It's not a wfh or a coronavirus issue, you're struggling with VD. NHS has nothing to do with it either? Have you engaged Oh?

Yes but as the rules have changed then I will have to WFH more meaning the visual difficulties are exacerbated if you get me?

Do you mean you have access to a couple of larger screens in the office, and now are trying to manage on a laptop screen at home?

Can you get set up at home with two larger monitors? You can get them pretty cheaply. Your place of work should pay as a reasonable adjustment, but I know here in the real world employers often dig heels in...

Vision problems really suck.

Speak to Occupational Health again who will do an assessment. If they feel WFH will cause/exacerbate health issues, they can explore other options with you. E.g. looking at how you can carry out your duties with less screen time. WFH if you can is the rule. If you can't, due to health concerns, then it doesn't have to happen.

Yes I know what you mean. My job is a lot of meetings and whereas in the office this is done face to face so you’re not staring at a screen all day, when WFH I can easily go all day on camera in virtual Teams meetings just staring at the screen. I’ve had a lot of headaches and my eyesight is getting worse I think since first lockdown. So I feel your pain.

What difficulties are you having and what treatment are you waiting for? Are there any adjustments that can be made to help you do your job?

If you can't work from home you don't have to

Have you had a VDE assessment if you're working on a screen?

Me too OP. I have a vision problem that’s exacerbated by screen use, and while it’s easy to say “take a break” it’s harder to do working from home and mine (which I had under really good control pre March 2020) is just getting worse by the month. I have no advice just posting in support!

For me it’s the lack of face to face meetings, and a commute which forces a break for a couple of hours, I think. Just back to back Teams calls all day, and to do my job I need to see people’s faces so the camera has to be on 😫

I've spoken to OH and my university however as I don't have an official diagnosis atm it's hard for them to know what to do really.
This is totally outing so will change my name after but the issue is really that either my lecturers are in person (v minimal screen time) or on Zoom (so hours and hours of screen time). The problem I'm having is intermittent double vision, not sure of the treatment just yet

@WorryMcGee

Me too OP. I have a vision problem that’s exacerbated by screen use, and while it’s easy to say “take a break” it’s harder to do working from home and mine (which I had under really good control pre March 2020) is just getting worse by the month. I have no advice just posting in support!

Sorry your having similar problems WorryMcGee - it's hard because I feel so selfish when everyone else is like oh WFH is so much better 😢

Yes, I have really struggled. My day is about 60% meetings and 40% screen time, so all those meetings turning into virtual meetings has really exacerbated my eye condition

Sorry to hear @KeyboardWorriers I wonder if we're a silent minority 😢

Yes, same here. I am a lecturer so would usually be on my laptop for a couple of hours a day. Now the bulk of my teaching is still remote so hours of Teams, and all marking now done online. My work did organise a monitor for me but it didn’t work out because I don’t have an “office” and am at the kitchen table where there is a risk of the cat knocking it off. (Plus I want to be able to pack work away at the end of the day.)

My prescription has got substantially worse!

I think WFH is only good if you have the space and resources to have a proper ergonomic setup, proper screen(s), keyboard, mouse, etc. Working full-time from home on a laptop is crap. I've worked from home for 5 years quite happily, but I wouldn't have lasted 5 months hunched over a laptop.

What kind of setup do you have, OP? Are you the correct distance from the screen, using a proper monitor? Have you adjusted the display settings and colours?

I've got a much bigger monitor now and that seems to be helping a bit but unfortunately the problem hasn't gone away 😢 and it was never a problem before a few months ago...