Now, There’s a Sight for Sore Eyes!

13 July 2020

A poll of 2,000 adults identified the most welcome scenes in life with experiences enjoyed by the coast, including sea views, an open beach and the sunrise and sunset, topping the list.

Home comforts are also popular with a third loving nothing more than the sight of fresh bedding while 26 per cent like to look at a clean house.

The study, commissioned by Scope Eyecare, also found the UK is a nation of animal lovers, with birds flying around in the morning and a dog happily wagging its tail featuring in the top 50.

Seeing a loved one or friend for the first time in a while also made the list, with 64 per cent saying this makes them feel happy, 27 per cent sentimental and 42 per cent excited.

A sixth even said a fully stocked supermarket shelf is a ‘sight for sore eyes’ – which may have not made the cut prior to the current pandemic.

The research also found the positive feeling from experiencing a sight for sore eyes lasts almost five hours.

As the world’s lockdown restrictions ease, the study asked what participants would most like to see and found more than a third of adults have a bucket list of places they want to visit.

More than 25 per cent want to get out and about in UK cities while 31 per cent would rather go abroad – with the likes of Australia, New Zealand and Japan popular choices.

And 40 per cent of over 55’s said they’d like to promise themselves they will see more of their children and grandchildren while a third hope to reunite with old friends they have lost touch with.

A further two fifths of adults vow to visit more beaches in life and 42 per cent would like to see more nature.

It was found people experience an average of five sights for sore eyes during a typical week, but this has decreased by 20 per cent during lockdown.

But more than half admitted they took nice sights for granted pre-lockdown, with 42 per cent actively looking for a positive image each day during isolation.

More than half of adults even agreed an uplifting, unexpected sight has been known to improve their day.

However, more than a tenth are ‘sick of the sight of’ their computer monitor while 24 per cent are fed up of looking at the same four walls.

Other things people have grown tired of seeing include politicians (32 per cent) certain celebrities (38 per cent) and other people’s selfies (31 per cent).

And with people spending more time at home than ever, piles of washing up, a dusty house and an overflowing laundry basket are also unwanted sights.

The study also found that the lockdown has resulted in 42 per cent looking at screens for longer than usual which may explain why a quarter have experienced an increase in tired eyes.

A third of respondents notice dry eyes when using a computer, while a sixth do so when scrolling on their phone.

SCOPE Eye Care has launched the new #EyePromise health check to see if eyes are feeling the strain of lockdown living, click here.

TOP SIGHTS FOR SORE EYES: