BITE Insight

Ads for eye drops don’t usually embrace the surreal. But Screen Eyes, Optrex’s latest ad directed by Owen Harris, of Black Mirror fame, bears all the hallmarks of a clip from the dystopian series; unnerving in its familiarity, yet surreal enough to seem detached from our own world.

Our technological habits may have advanced but our bodies have not adapted quite as quickly. The Screen Eyes slot for Optrex ActiMist 2in1 Dry + Irritated Eye Spray, alludes to the dry-eyed feeling that occurs when you’ve been looking at a screen for too long. As the ad reveals, you blink up to 60% less when looking at a screen as you do when going about your day-to-day life.  

The ad highlights this modern problem by placing screens on people’s faces where their eyes would ordinarily sit. People with screen eyes are shown gazing down at their phones on the bus, in cafes and then sitting behind a computer screen at work.

Screens are now a fundamental part of our daily lives but, as this unusual slot highlights, that can’t come at the expense of our wellbeing.