Does Staring At Your Smartphone's Screen Ruin Your Eyes? 6 Common Eye Care Myths Debunked

There was a time when everyone was scared of 'the big box'. How it was ruining our future, causing some to wear glasses or contact lenses, or even kids to get really upset in life. The television may have heralded a new era of media and entertainment companies in the country, but it still spread a lot of misconceptions among the masses.

Most of all, it created a taboo among the masses about screens being 'evil' and unhealthy. Here 6 myths about all types of screens and monitors and the truth about them.

No sleep

Artificial light does cause a change in your sleep patterns, also termed as a circadian rhythm. It is what helps your brain identify what is the natural source of light and what's artificial. Constant exposure to mobile and TV screens can cause your brain to interpret it as a natural light. Hence, you find many people nocturnal for days at a stretch.

However, technology has advanced to a point where sensors can dim the screen to a warmer color tone when in dark environments. This technology is available on all major TVs and smartphones on the market now. Apple has incorporated the same in their latest version of iOS and calls it Night Shift, wherein it dims the screen to a warmer color.

Cancerian Screens

This does sound absurd that people who spend hours on end staring at screens get cancer. Our way of living has drastically changed over the century. Many studies over the past few years have also said that our eating habits too, along with smoking and drinking have killed faster. So it is safe to say these screens are harmless to us in this aspect.

Also read: Here are 5 weird gadgets that you thought would never exist

Diabetic Depression

Laugh off for a moment to consider that there were rumors of screens causing diabetes. Looking at those beautiful, vibrant screens were 'sweet to the eyes' apparently. Over the last decade, this rumor has obviously piped down to nonexistence.

Researchers now blame the use of online content and entertainment to be the reason for depression among youths. But this situation has almost improved, as the content published are now always scrutinized to be apt for all users. And even after the rise of social networks, the company of friends have been better and the meeting always starts and ends with a selfie.

Damage Your Vision

Excessive strain on your eyes does cause problems to your eyes. It is always best to dim the screens in dark environments and limit your usage to a few minutes. The vision of your eyes does not reduce, but a constant strain on your eyes to read on small screens with even smaller texts is not good.

At a time when phablets are selling better, it would be advisable to hold your device at a comfortable distance and to increase text size.

Also read: Here are 8 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying A Mouse

Close call

Additional to the point made above, we still remember our parents asking us to move away from the TV screens. As kids, we are always attracted to the cartoons and animations. Out of curiosity, we end up right in front of the screen. Continuous strain on the muscles in our eyes can cause headaches and blurred vision, and it is important to rest them every now and then.

Dark vision

Going back to the most important trend among youths and working professionals, using your smartphones or laptops in the dark does not affect your vision. With the brightness turned up to their max limit, our eyes tend to get dry as we do not blink. Thus, it is important that we blink occasionally.