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Zoom dominated lifestyles have new solution in Zeiss

The surge in online video platforms during lockdown has blurred boundaries between work and personal life, leading to significant health impacts. Discover how Zeiss SmartLife lenses offer relief from digital strain and enhance visual comfort across devices.

The UK lockdown made our lives feel equally connected and disconnected at the same time. Though we had never been more apart from our family, friends and colleagues, the use of technology meant that, when told not to be together, we could be – even if it was in digital form.

From Teams meeting for work, to Zoom get-togethers in the evening, the UK public has spent 120 per cent more time using online video platforms in the last six months, compared to before lockdown, according to our latest research.

But this rising use of technology is taking its toll – in both a physical, and mental capacity. In fact, millions of Brits are now suffering health and wellbeing problems as a direct result, as they struggle to disconnect at the end of the day.

Zoom fatigue

We conducted research with 2,000 members of the UK public, which found that:
  • On average, people have spent three hours and 12 minutes each week on tools such as Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams
  • A third of Brits feel like they’ve spent more time than is necessary on video calls, and more than half think some video calls could have been dealt with quicker over the phone or by email
  • Over half (54 per cent) of us have experienced symptoms such as insomnia, headaches, eye strain, anxiety or low moods because of using technology like video calls more during lockdown
For those of us who aren’t familiar with this type of technology, its sudden introduction to our personal and professional lives is also having other side effects. For example, our research found that millions of people keep their cameras firmly turned off during video calls because they don’t like to show their faces. Despite living in the ‘selfie age’, a third of Brits are simply too camera shy to use tools like Zoom and Skype. Contrary to this, for the people who have found comfort in using technology to keep in touch, two-fifths find it rude if they’re forced to talk to a blank screen.

Counter-productive platforms

Though many online video platforms surged in popularity during the lockdown due to their ability to achieve some sort of continuity for teams forced to work from home, our research has shown that in many ways, they have actually been counter-productive.

We found that:
  • Employees spend an average of 47 minutes getting physically and mentally prepared before using tools like Zoom, Skype, and Teams to communicate with colleagues, clients and other work contacts
  • Once the virtual meeting is over, people take an average of 18 minutes to get their head back into work-mode
  • One in ten people take at least 30 minutes before feeling productive again after a video call
  • Nearly half of people (44 per cent) struggle to keep up with the conversation on video calls if there are too many people taking part
This amounts to 56 unproductive working hours per employee since lockdown begun. That means, in total, 862 million hours of working time have been ‘wasted’ over the last 22 weeks.

Furthermore, it takes people an average of 37 minutes to switch off when working at home, and for more than one in ten people (12 per cent) it takes at least an hour to disconnect – making our working day longer, and meaning we spend less time fully immersed in our family.
A new solution

Thankfully, the side effects of the increasingly connected life we’re living – such as eye strain, neck ache, headache and insomnia – can be relieved. We’ve introduced a revolutionary new lens to the UK market that reduces the side effects of using multiple screens and devices throughout the day.

Zeiss SmartLife lenses are found to improve all day visual comfort by 78 per cent compared to typical spectacles lenses.
In fact, participants who took part in a recent trial of Zeiss Smartlife lenses in partnership with Aston University reported significant improvements to their quality of vision when using connected devices; distance vision – used to watch television – improved by 85 per cent; intermediate vision, which would be used to view a computer or laptop for a video call, was made better by 81 per cent, while near sight – needed to use a smartphone – was enhanced by 80 per cent.

What many people don’t realise is that our eyes have to adapt as we move between different activities and screens due to us using different working distances and viewing angles. This can lead to some of the discomforts we feel after using screens for too long, and can prevent us from carrying out the activity as effectively as possible. And whilst some devices are crucial to us succeeding in our working lives, it’s important we find a solution that makes us more comfortable. Zeiss is that solutions, and we’re pleased to be able to bring that to you.

We’re proud to have worked with Zeiss, Aston University and our own clients to bring these lenses to you, as they will prove to be a vital tool to future-proof the health, wellbeing and lifestyles of millions of glasses wearers the world over. Please get in touch if you’d like to know more.