Digital use has increased in corona times

A representative study among spectacle wearers shows how much digital use has increased in the times of corona. This also has an impact on our visual dynamics today.

Whether video conferencing, e-mail, chat or video streaming: As a result of the corona crisis with home office and social distancing, 59 percent of German spectacle wearers spend significantly more time privately and professionally with computers, smartphones, tablets and other digital devices. This was the result of a representative Innofact survey commissioned by the lens manufacturer Zeiss Vision Care.

Three hours and more with digital devices and services

Specifically, the increase in “digital time” by corona has proven to be significant: 10.8 percent of spectacle wearers have stated that they have spent between three and five hours more a day using digital devices since the onset of the corona crisis. In 13.5 percent, it was even more than five additional hours a day.

Almost 14 percent spend between two and three hours more on smartphones, tablets and computers, 16 percent between half an hour and two hours – and five percent up to half an hour more.

But even before the corona lockdown, the use per day was high: almost half of the spectacle wearers surveyed stated that they had spent more than five hours a day using digital devices.

Further increase in digital time

The survey also evaluated whether a further increase in usage time in the coming twelve months is expected from digital offerings such as digital news media, smart homes, streaming providers or video calls. This is assumed by 41.5 percent of the spectacle wearers surveyed.

Around half of all respondents were still unsure. Only nine percent think that they will use their digital devices a little less again in the next twelve months.

Demand for optimized vision solutions

“The survey shows that there has been a clearly measurable increase in the use of digital devices in both private and professional life,” says Matthias Wehrle Marketing Manager at Zeiss Vision Care Germany. In general, interest in relaxed and healthy vision in everyday digital life has increased significantly. “This is also reflected in a great interest in glasses that are optimized for digital devices and thus support the eyes and vision. More than half of the respondents indicated that they would buy such glasses.”

Changing vision: why digital life requires new glasses

But in “digital times”, not just glasses that are optimized for the use of digital devices alone are in demand. Our gaze behavior today is characterized by an unprecedented dynamic of vision. We always have the smartphone at hand and often orient ourselves out of the corner of our eyes. Our gaze constantly changes from the display into the distance, downwards, to the front and to the side. Our “smartphone” vision means that we make more eye movements than head movements and look much more through the edges of glasses than before.

Study design

As part of a so-called omnibus survey, Innofact AG asked a representative sample of 694 spectacle wearers aged between 18 and 69 years at the beginning of July 2020, including 322 men and 372 women. 64.4% of the participants stated that they were employed.

In addition, people without visual aids or contact lens wearers were also interviewed as part of the representative study. The results in this section of the population were very similar or almost identical to those of the spectacle wearers.