Ever since I can remember, my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, have been telling me, "Don't sit too close to the tv. You'll ruin your eyesight!" Being the good kid that I was, I refrained from being too close afraid that one day I might actually lose my eyesight!
What i didn't know was that this claim is linked all the way to the 1960's when General Electric began selling new color televisions. These claims arose when viewers became aware that these televisions actually emitted excess amounts of radiation that after repeated exposure could have heightened the risk of eye problems for some people (scientific). Since "nearly half of all kids spend four or more hours a day using computers and electronic devices, according to a recent national survey," (mommy) we would hope that this radiation problem would be fixed by now, wouldn't we? Thankfully, modern televisions and electronic devices had the proper sheilding preventing radiation from being any type of issue. "The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says that kids can actually focus up close without eyestrain better than adults, so they often develop the habit of sitting right in front of the television or holding reading material close to their eyes" (health).
Although sitting very close to a television doesn't cause blindness, those children who do may be nearsighted and need glasses, which is something parents should stay alert for. Also, too much television in dim lighting may cause temporary eyestrain (health). Thus, it is always good to watch tv in moderation. While it is inevitable that kids will watch tv, sitting too close to will only cause parents to cringe; all in all, it will not damage your eyesight.
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After hearing this expression over and over as a child, its good to know that the original problems with the tv that caused the bad eye site is now shielded properly. Probably a reason I need glasses.
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I always sat in front of a tv (even when my parents told me not to), and now I'm paying for it with my glasses. Even now, I'm in front of a computer monitor for hours at a time on things like Facebook or gaming. The sad thing is, my eyesight is getting worse every year, and I'm not doing anything to slow it down from progressing.
ReplyDeleteI remember in the 4th grade one of the kids in my class came in with glasses and we asked him why he got them and he said that he sat too close to the tv. I never really believed the tv could do that until he came into class that day.
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