“Looking at screens all day will give you eye problems!” says opticians
Britons spend 11 hours a day looking at mobiles, tablets, laptops and TVs – and it’s causing us a host of eye problems
Britons spend an average of 11 hours a day staring at screens, new research has revealed.
The amount of time looking at computers, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, e-books and TVs adds up to 77.3 hours a week, it has shown.
As screens seemingly take over people’s lives, Britons report that they spend only 12 hours and 58 minutes quality time with their families each week.
Alas! The digital age, lit by the constant glare of something flat and shiny, is not without its drawbacks – with we Brits tied to our screens for so long that our eyes are deteriorating.
While experts are still undecided on how much staring at screens affects people’s eyesight, research has shown that while a person is concentrating on reading, playing computer games or watching videos their blink rate is reduced by a third.
This reduced blinking can leading to a higher rate of tear evaporation, one of the leading causes of dry eye syndrome which is also linked to other eye complaints.
As someone who spends an inordinate amount of time pouring over headlines in the Daily Mail and tapping away at sarcastic blogposts, you’d imagine my eyes would be first against the wall should the ocular revolution come – however, fortunately, I’m able to simulate the effects of blinking every time I’m forced to rub my eyes in disbelief at the borderline-transparent PR which still somehow makes it into the newspapers.
For instance, this particular tale of degenerating eyesight – who might be behind it?
Sarah Farrant, consultant optometrist at the eye care company Spectrum Thea, said: ‘The sheer amount of time that people are now spending looking at screens is worryingly high.
One can only assume the intentions of Spectrum Thea are purely altruistic, rather than commercial. Then again, we’re not THAT near-sighted.