Watching your screen time go up over the course of a week can be anxiety-inducing, especially when looking at a screen is now a central part of the working world. New research by Specsavers shows that workers first reach for their phone at around 7.00am and do not put it down until nearly 10.30pm that evening.

In its survey of 2,000 hybrid workers, it found that people spend an average of 12 hours a day – or 60 hours of a working week – glued to their screens. And of the 12 hours spent looking at a screen, nearly five of those hours were in front of laptops, four and a half on phones and around three hours watching TV.

It seems our screens are constantly on our minds, as more than 63% of workers said that the first thing they do when they open their eyes in the morning is check their work emails. And 83% of respondents admitted they start scrolling before they kiss their partner good morning, with 53% saying they grab their phones before they go to the loo.

Taking into account that many of us also look at multiple screens at once (dubbed second screening by experts), it’s no surprise that one in three young adults meet the criteria for smartphone addiction. And when it’s now so easy to access your work via phones and laptops, many workers are struggling to enforce and maintain work-life boundaries.

Maria Kordowicz, a chartered psychologist for Respeo, tells Stylist: “Screen time cuts into our time for social relationships and connections, which could lead to a sense of isolation or more fragile social skills and end up affecting our mental wellbeing.” She also explains that high levels of screen time can also affect our ability to work, particularly when it comes to ‘deep work’ – where we can properly focus on one thing in more detail and depth of thought.

She adds: “There’s evidence to say that high screen time can lead to eyesight issues over time.”

That’s something that Specsavers found in its research. High levels of screen time can not only have an effect on our work-life balance and mental health but it can also affect our physical health. Eight in 10 workers agreed that they’re suffering from tired eyes or headaches potentially due to prolonged screen time.

The survey also showed that over a quarter of people (29%) have to enlarge the font size on their phone so they can read it clearly, while just under half (49%) confess to zooming in on images so they can see them better.

Giles Edmonds, clinical services director at Specsavers said: “Our eyes are not designed to be fixed on a single object for a long period of time, especially when focusing on laptops with small screens, tablets or smart devices. It can make your eyes feel uncomfortable, sore, tired and even start to itch or burn.”

Edmonds has suggested a few tips so that people at work are as comfortable as possible when looking at a screen all day:

A new survey shows just how much UK workers are looking at their screens