WASHINGTON

With the COVID-19 pandemic's shift to greater freedom for employees to work from home, remote workers are now staring at screens for over half the day, according to a new survey.

The online poll from the All About Vision eye health website found remote workers spend roughly 13 hours staring at screen per day. That is about two hours more than those who work on-site.

The poll found a minor increase among those who work from home in time spent looking at a computer while working -- 6 hours and 43 minutes compared to 6 hours and 11 minutes for on-site peers -- but significant increases in time spent looking at social media or using a phone, or watching tv or streaming content.

Those who work from home spend about 50 minutes more on both of the mediums than those who commute in to the office, the survey indicated. The survey found what it said are trends among remote workers suggesting they take more time off or leave work earlier due to eye strain or headaches.

Eighty-eight percent of the survey's respondents said they visited an eye doctor in the past two years, with 45% saying they required a new prescription.