by Sotiris Karahalios

Created on: April 30, 2009

Are you online for more than five hours per day? Do you watch a lot of TV? Does TV ruin our eyes?

About 75% of people use the computer for over 3 hours per day or watch TV for over 2 hours per day! OK, admit it! You are one of them! Will that ruin your eyes? What can we do to protect our eyes?
Does TV or computer ruin our eyes?

The answer is no. The latest monitors and TVs are based on the LCD technology so they don't emit dangerous rays. Of course it doesn't mean that we will be OK if we watch TV for many hours. Sometimes when we watch a lot of TV, our eyes become blur, we have headaches and we feel that our eyes are "heavy". To prevent this we have to focus on something far from the TV every 5-6 minutes in order to exercise our eyes and not get them "lazy" (that's what is causing the blur and headaches).

What can I do to protect my eyes?

1. Keep a distance
Try not to get too near to the screen. The best way to find out how far you should be from the screen in order for you to protect your eyes is the following; measure the width of the screen and then multiply it with 5. This is the best distance between you and the monitor! For example, if your monitor is 20cm wide then you should be 1 meter away from it!

2. Set the lights
Avoid watching TV or being on the computer without any other lighting or with intense lighting. It's recommended to have a small source of light near or behind the screen.

3. Put the monitor in the correct place
Your TV set or computer shouldn't face windows because the light from outside reflects on the screen and thus make it harder for you to see. You will also have to set the screen on the level of your eyes. That will make it far more easier for you to watch TV comfortably!

4. After 45 minutes of watching TV or working with your pc you should rest your eyes for about 15 minutes. That will make your eyes rest and you can continue working or watching TV without feeling tired.

5. Use eye-tears in order to help your eyes rest better. Use them as often as you need them. Don't worry, it's like your eye tears and don't have any chemicals.

6. When working on your computer, try to look away for 4-5 seconds every 5 minutes of work. This will train your eye muscles and your eyes won't get hurt too easily. Our eye is a big muscle. If you don't exercise it too often it will get hurt! If you forget to look away, there are special programs that turn off the monitor every 5 minutes for about 5 seconds.

The last tip is to avoid watching too much TV and get out to have fun!

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