Eizo

A multi-billion pound problem staring us in the face?

A first-of-its-kind investigation into the contribution of Digital Eye Strain to workplace presenteeism, the affect on wellbeing and productivity, and the estimated cost to UK business.

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The Scale of the Issue

The UK Productivity Crisis

£138 billion

lost annually to ill-health at work, through both absence and reduced performance. The contribution of DES to this figure has never been measured.

100

Output per hour worked (2019 = 100)

2000

2025

Pre-2008 trend

Sources: Graph - ONS, UK Whole Economy: Output per hour worked, seasonally adjusted (series LZVB), August 2026. Baseline is 80, not zero. Chart by EIZO UK. £138bn - Vitality, Britain’s Healthiest Workplace 2023 (published Jan 2024)

The Digital Eye Strain Epidemic

62.6% of UK Screen workers report symptoms of Digital Eye Strain (DES).

Source: Moore, Wolffsohn & Sheppard (2024), Digital eye strain and its impact on working adults in the UK and Ireland.

Absenteeism vs Presenteeism

For every
1 day
off work sick

An additional
6.5 days
are lost in productivity

Source: IPPR, O'Halloran & Thomas (2024), Healthy Industry, Prosperous Economy.

Symptoms of DES

Accommodative Strain

Staring at a fixed digital distance for hours locks the internal ciliary muscle into a prolonged contraction, causing focal fatigue.

Tear Film Disruption

Reduced and incomplete blinking causes the protective tear film to evaporate rapidly, leaving the ocular surface dry, gritty, and inflamed.

Tired Eye (Redness)

Surface irritation from lack of lubrication triggers dilation of blood vessels on the cornea and conjunctiva, resulting in bloodshot eyes.

Diagram of an eye showing areas affected by digital eye strain

Associated Headache

Overloaded visual pathways overstimulate the ophthalmic nerve, projecting tension pain across the brow, temples, and forehead.

Eye Muscle Strain

Keeping the eyes statically turned inward to focus on a flat screen exhausts the extraocular tracking muscles.

Light Sensitivity (Photophobia)

Dry spots on the cornea cause environmental light to scatter irregularly inside the eye, making normal indoor lighting feel intensely harsh.

How monitors contribute to DES

Flicker

Imperceptible screen flickering (PWM) overworks the iris muscles through constant light adjustments, triggering headaches and neurological fatigue.

Brightness Mismatch

Harsh contrast between a monitor and its surrounding room lighting forces the pupils into constant, exhausting adaptations.

Image Stability

Low screen refresh rates cause unnatural movement (e.g. mouse cursor) forcing the eye to make tiring micro-corrections.

Colour Temperature

High color temperatures (excessive blue light) scatter easily across the eye lens, reducing sharp contrast and disrupting sleep cycles.

Glare and Reflections

Competing reflections on the screen split the eye’s visual planes, inducing accommodation stress as the lens struggles to maintain focus.

Contrast and Sharpness

Soft font edges and low contrast prevent a clear focal lock, forcing the ciliary muscle into continuous, fatiguing micro-adjustments.

The financial impact

9.7M

full-time UK screen workers reporting DES

£39k

median full-time earnings

3-4%

reduction in productivity over working day

£11-15 billion

annual loss

£1134 - £1546 per worker

Top 10 findings

The UK has a hidden screen health crisis

62.6% of screen workers in the UK report symptoms of Digital Eye Strain. Most don't recognise it as a workplace health issue, and most employers have never measured it.

Monitor is most used device in working day

Average UK screen worker uses digital devices for 9.7 hours a day. Monitor is the primary workspace for most office workers, yet rarely considered a health or wellbeing investment.

Familiar symptoms not attributed to screens

Headaches, dry eyes and persistent fatigue are most common symptoms. Workers accept these as a normal part of the working day, not recognising them as preventable.

Working from home making things worse

64.6% of home workers report DES symptoms, higher than office-based counterparts. Home workstations less likely to be ergonomically optimised, and monitor quality is rarely considered.

Under-recognised driver of presenteeism

Headaches and fatigue, primary symptoms of DES, among most common health problems driving presenteeism across the UK workforce. Condition widespread, yet almost entirely absent from workplace health agendas.

Presenteeism - 6.5x more days lost than to absence

The hidden cost of working while unwell far outweighs the cost of sick days. UK workers lose an estimated 44 productive days per year to presenteeism - compared to 6.7 days to absenteeism.

Estimated £11-15 billion in lost productivity

Poor health costs the UK economy £138 billion a year through sickness absence and working while unwell. DES-related conditions are estimated to account for £11-15 billion of that.

Employees left to deal with symptoms

Individuals are given coping strategies - taking breaks, looking away from the screen, adjusting room lighting, or reaching for pain relief. Employers who invest in properly specified monitors address the cause at source.

Imperceptible flicker harms worker’s eyes

Flicker is processed continuously by the visual system and is a significant contributor to eye fatigue. Monitors independently certified as flicker-free by TÜV Rheinland directly address this significant cause of DES.

Monitor quality is a procurement decision

Screen time is inevitable, monitor quality is within an employer's control. Flicker-free technology, low blue light settings, and automatic ambient light adjustment reduce the visual burden on screen workers.

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Calculate your company’s
Screen Strain Deficit

Your Estimated Annual Screen Strain Deficit

£XXXXXX - £XXXXXX

Based on 62.6% of your screen workers reporting symptoms of Digital Eye Strain and a 3–4% reduction in their productivity

Method: Screen workers × 62.6% prevalence (Moore, Wolffsohn & Sheppard, 2024) × average gross salary × a 3–4% productivity reduction, set below the lowest peer-reviewed estimate available. Excludes employer NI and pension contributions so the real cost is likely to be higher. An evidence-based estimate, not a measurement.

The optometrist’s view

The correlation between digital eye strain and productivity is a fascinating area of investigation that is ongoing here at the Optometry and Vision Science Research Group at Aston University.

Our 2024 study revealed just how common symptoms of digital eye strain are amongst UK and Ireland screen workers. More than 60% met the clinical threshold for the syndrome, and around 90% reported ocular symptoms some or all of the time.

Our own lab studies tracking work rate and productivity have shown that symptoms can develop very quickly, get progressively worse, and the speed at which the participant works is reduced. Any effect on individual performance, multiplied across everyone who works at a screen, means the potential impact is huge.

We would always rather focus on prevention than cure. Our eyes aren’t going to adapt to screens any time soon, so it makes sense to look at how monitor technology can support better eye health.

Dr Amy Sheppard, Head of Optometry and Audiology, Aston University
Professor James S Wolffsohn, Professor of Optometry, University of Waterloo, Canada and Aston University, UK

Recommendations

Improve Monitor Quality

Often overlooked and sacrificed to short-term cost decisions, monitor quality is a key contributor to long-term eye health and workplace performance. HSE guidelines identify image stability, legibility, brightness and contrast, glare and reflection as key considerations.

Support Eye Health

Mandatory requirements for Digital Screen Equipment users include providing and paying for eye tests and basic spectacles. Enhanced support could include comprehensive vision care, upgrade options, regular breaks and relaxation exercises like the 20:20:20 rule.

Optimise Workstation Setup

DSE risk assessment regulations are already in place for every fixed, home, or hot-desking station. Employers can go further by providing ergonomic hardware upgrades such as more adjustable screens, curved monitors, and lighting that reduces glare and mirrors natural daylight.

About EIZO

EIZO, which means ‘image’ in Japanese, develops and manufactures high-end visual solutions that enrich people’s professional and personal lives. Innovative products that deliver long-term value across wellbeing, productivity, and sustainability.

At EIZO UK, we understand that monitors play an important role in the health of the nation’s screen workers and the bottom line of the businesses that employ them. The true impact and costs, however, are yet to be accurately measured so we’ve brought together what the existing evidence can tell us.

EIZO products, such as the FlexScan office monitor range with 7-year warranty, include features that reduce eye strain and deliver long-term value. EIZO will continue to engage with Aston University research into monitor-related DES to increase knowledge and inform future product development.

Methodology

Screen workers – 20.2m. Employees in occupations where screens are used daily for an hour or more, the threshold defining a DSE user. 68% of 29.75m UK employees (ONS).

With Digital Eye Strain – 12.7m. 62.6% prevalence (Moore, Wolffsohn & Sheppard, 2024).

Costed – 9.7m. Full-time only.

Excluded – self-employed, part-time employees, employer NI and pension.

Earnings – £39,039, median full-time (ONS ASHE, April 2025).

Productivity loss – 3–4%. A figure below the lowest peer-reviewed estimate.

All assumptions are intentionally conservative, our estimation of The UK Screen Strain Deficit is therefore cautious and likely to be higher than indicated.