Eye health and glasses for digital nomads

Covid-19 has changed the rules of working with more employees choosing remote gigs over work from the office. People are shifting towards a digital nomad lifestyle - remote workers who travel and work from wherever the heck they want. Now that’s interesting.

Did you know that the pandemic saw a surge in the digital nomad population by 50% in 2020? And the situation is not different in the UK as well.

The interest in the digital nomad lifestyle goes all the way back to 2014 when people starting to search for this term. In 2020, more full-time employees turned digital nomads as freelancers already have more freedom over where they work from.

But, this new lifestyle could be a lot to handle for some people. And the most common thing most digital nomads suffer from is eye problems. When you’re working by day and exploring by night, you don’t get enough time to sleep which is what makes your eye health go worse.

If you’re also a digital nomad, I am going to discuss some challenges you face that concern your eye health and what you can do to protect your eyes.

Eye problems for digital nomads

Excessive blue light exposure

Computers, laptops or any other digital screen emits a lot of blue light which results in eye strain, sleep disruption or even problems such as computer vision syndrome.

You must’ve heard that using a screen before bedtime is bad for you. This is because blue light is able to block the release of melatonin (a hormone that triggers sleep). Thus, when you indulge in smartphones or computers before going to bed, it messes with your circadian rhythm and you feel trouble sleeping.

Make sure to always your devices in dark mode after late hours. And if possible, avoid using them at all for at least 2 hours before you go to sleep. You can also try out our blue light glassesthat block 99.99% blue light and doesn’t let it steal your sleep.

Eye fatigue

Staring at your screen all day leaves your eyes tired and crying for help. Our eyes have to work extra hard to focus at such a close distance for long hours which stresses them and gets the best of your eyes.

Also, since you don’t have a dedicated workstation and work on the move, the lighting conditions aren’t always the best for your eyes.

By lighting your work area, you can get rid of eye fatigue while ensuring maximum comfort and productivity.

You should always take time off of your screen every 20 minutes or one hour (whatever suits you the best). Use the 20-20-20 rule where you take attention away from your computer every 20 minutes by looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Dry eyes

Digital nomads are people with great digital skills that businesses need. However, they didn’t get these skills overnight. They have to stay updated on the new technology and train themselves on these skills which means countless hours of screen time.

When you’re using computers or any digital screen, you don’t blink your eyes as many times as you should. This causes the problem of dry eyes where your eyes produce either low-quality or insufficient amounts of tears. This problem leads to ocular irritation and eye redness.

So, when you’re at your computer, make sure you don’t forget to blink and drink water to keep yourself hydrated.

Also, the climatic conditions can also dry out the tears from your eyes. If you’re in a windy area, you have to take special care of your eyes so they don’t run out of tears.

UV light and your eyes

You won’t always find a good optical store in the places you travel. And when you’re in a remote area, you can’t expect your sunglasses to arrive within one to two business days. Going out in the sun without sunglasses is a bad idea. So, when you’re going places, make sure you always have an extra pair of sunglasses in case the first one goes missing.

The sunglasses you buy should give 100% UVA and UVB protection. Sunglasses that you buy from the streets lack in quality and are only coloured lenses sometimes.

Moreover, if you have an eye problem or refractive error, you need a prescription for your sunnies as well. Prescription sunglasses are more difficult to get when you don’t have a good optical store around. Even in winters or cloudy days, the UV rays are just as intense and damaging. So, you must always have a spare pair of sunglasses with you.

Look your best with glasses for digital nomads

Digital nomads travel the most beautiful and calming places on the planet. And when you’ve such a great backdrop, how is one not supposed to take a selfie (or hundreds of them)? Thus, your looks matter even more when you’re a digital nomad.

There are glasses that serve the specific needs of your lifestyle while making you look super stylish.

Transition glasses

When you’re living life in a suitcase, you need to be selective with what you take with you. A capsule wardrobe helps in this matter.

It’s understandable why you don’t want to carry an extra pair of prescription glasses and sunglasses with you. So, here’s a two-in-one solution - transition glasses.

These glasses have photochromic lenses that change colour based on whether you’re exposed to UV light or not. So, these lenses remain clear indoors working as regular specs and as soon as you step in the daylight, they become tinted to protect you from UV light.

These lenses are able to adjust the shade to give you a comfortable vision in every lighting. These are cost-effective and useful, even more so when you’re always on the move. Thus, you don’t have to carry extra pairs with you and it becomes easier to travel.

Your eye health matters

Your vision is the most important part of your lifestyle. You became a digital nomad so you can work from the wonders of nature and reach beautiful sites. But, you won’t be seeing any of them if you don’t have your vision.

Moreover, the changing surroundings, temperature and climate aren’t good for your eyes either. Make sure you pay attention to your eye health to balance work and well-being. And if you have existing eye problems, then make sure you get regular eye tests no matter at what corner of the planet you are.

The digital nomad lifestyle is cool but it shouldn’t be carefree. To travel places and make the most of your adventures, you’ll need your eye health by your side.