We talk a lot about visionary leadership. You know, the ability to see around corners, detect emerging patterns, and imagine futures that don’t exist yet. These are all very important activities for strategic work. But something we rarely consider is what happens when the physical instrument of vision is under siege. Put more directly, what happens when our eyes succumb to the daily assault of screen time?
I recently spoke with Dr. Valerie Sheety-Pilon, senior vice president of clinical and medical affairs at VSP Vision Care, whose organization has spent three years tracking the state of the American workforce’s vision health. The data he shared stopped me in my tracks and reframed the way I think about the infrastructure of creative and imaginative work. Here are three of my takeaways.
Insight #1: The visual crisis is accelerating faster than we think
Three years ago, the VSP Workplace Vision Health Report found that 50% of workers experienced at least one eye problem. I would definitely fall into that category – I have pairs of readers plus a spare in every room of our house. But last year, that figure had risen to 63%. Today it is 66% and continues to increase. This is a jump of 16 percentage points in just three years, and covers both desk and non-desk workers.
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The culprit is not mysterious. We currently spend more than 100 hours a week in front of screens: phones, tablets, monitors and televisions. That sustained “visual loading,” as Sheety-Pilon calls it, is generating screen-related visual discomfort at a rate our workplaces are not designed to absorb. The downstream effects, according to VSP research, are lower productivity, lower ability to concentrate, and lower quality of work outcomes.
When I asked Sheety-Pilon if eye strain might also affect higher-order thinking—the kind of imagination, problem-solving, and creative association that I call miracle —She didn’t doubt it. “There are studies that relate visual fatigue to a component of that imaginative result of creativity,” he told me. “High visual load is affecting cognitive health as part of that.”
Insight #2: The body is a system, not a collection of silos
This is the point where Sheety-Pilon’s perspective aligns deeply with my own perspective on what we need in our current Age of Imagination. in my book Move. Think. Rest.I point out that our sentient intelligence constantly picks up signals and data through our bodies that inform and enrich our cognitive and rational decision-making. We are programmed to use our entire being, not just our prefrontal cortex.
Sheety-Pilon defines it as “visual sensory capacity,” a critical component within a dynamic and interconnected sensory system. “If we improve our vision, then our hearing, and then the other senses that come together,” he explained, “we can get the perfect package where we can be the best we can be every day.”
In other words: the eye is not an isolated organ. It is a gateway to neuronal tissue, sensory processing and imagination itself. When we treat vision health as a standalone wellness checkbox rather than an organizational infrastructure, as she put it, we miss “the connection between eye health, systemic conditions, and overall well-being.”
This resonates with what neuroscientist John Medina writes in Brain rules for workIt turned out that we should ideally step away from the desk every 35 to 40 minutes, not as a benefit, but as a neurological necessity for sustained high performance.
Myth #3: Forward-thinking culture is a leadership responsibility, not an HR benefit
When I took Sheety-Pilon beyond ergonomic tactics (beyond blue light glasses and screen distance reminders) and asked her what a truly forward-thinking organizational culture would look like, her response was blunt: “Allow time and space, encourage moments of rest.” Organizations that prioritize health literacy within the employee network can significantly shape workplace culture.
He also introduced me to the 20-20-20 rule: For every 20 minutes of screen time near work, take a 20-second break and look at something that’s at least 20 feet away. It is the ocular equivalent of what I call movement hygiene within the framework of MTR: deliberately alternating between modes of participation to preserve the capacity for both rigor and wonder. I’ve been trying this one and I feel my eyes relax immediately!
Leaders and organizations that will thrive in the Age of Imagination will not just invest in cognitive tools or AI capabilities. They will protect and cultivate all the sensory capacity of their people. Because you cannot lead with vision (metaphorical or otherwise) if you have systematically depleted the organ that makes vision possible.
As Sheety-Pilon summarized near the end of our conversation: “You have a better quality of work. You have the focus and ability to do better work when you have an employer who supports you and understands the importance of overall mental health and visual and physical well-being.”
The hidden cost of work in the age of screens is not burnout or lack of engagement, it is the slow erosion of the sensory capacity that leaders need most. Visionary leadership begins with a healthy vision. It’s time to build the organizational infrastructure to protect it.
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