A significant proportion of people polled in a Midsomer Norton optician's customer survey found their eyesight had worsened during the past year, with over two-thirds reporting increased screen time for watching TV, shopping, work and scanning social media.

The poll by Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care was carried out to mark 12 months since the first national lockdown was brought in to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite the challenges, 71%of respondents said they had kept their eye test appointments and of these 47% found their prescriptions had changed for the worse.

Of those who did not take up eye test reminders, three quarters said it was due to Covid concerns.

Steven Ball, manager of the Scrivens branch on High Street, said: "We are open as an essential healthcare provider with Covid-secure measures in place so people can access our services safely. It is important to keep appointments for eye tests as they detect not only changes in our vision but are also a means of checking general health too.

"As restrictions ease and life returns to normal, we hope people will feel more confident about having their eyes checked, especially if they have noticed any differences in their vision.

"More of us are spending more time in a virtual life so we would advise taking regular breaks to guard against eye strain. For those who wear glasses or contact lenses it is advisable to keep prescriptions up to date."

Some 69% of respondents to the national Scrivens online survey said that their screen time had increased, with one in ten putting the extra time at six hours or more a day. The most popular reasons given were online shopping, watching TV, social media, work, virtual socialising, gaming and home schooling.

Asked who they had missed seeing most during this unprecedented year, 42% said friends and 22% said grandchildren.

Family business Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care was established in 1938 and has 174 branches.