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It used to be a cliché that dads disappeared to the toilet to ‘read the newspaper’ (which we all now know was a code for having 10 minutes peace and quiet from the kids).
Times have changed, and now 40 per cent of us are using our phones in the bathroom.
A nationwide survey of 500 Australians, commissioned by online optical retailer, clearly.com.au has revealed that our obsession and mis-use of our phones are putting their health, in particular, our eye health, at great risk.
The survey revealed:
- People hold mobile phones 5-22cm closer to their eyes than they hold newspapers, magazines and books (Further damage is caused when this is combined with the pixilated images appearing on smartphone)
- 60 per cent of Australians use their smartphone in bed immediately before sleep
- 40 per cent even use it in the bathroom.
- 15 per cent of Australians would rather go a week without bathing or showering instead of going a week without their device.
- 50 per cent of those surveyed said they’d give up coffee before their smartphone for a week and even more would be willing to give up alcohol for a week rather than their smartphone.
“Eye fatigue, blurred vision, headaches, neck pain and dry eyes are all common symptoms of digital eye strain, which not only occurs while sitting at a computer, but also as we stare at our smartphones,” explains clearly.com.au Chief Executive Officer, Duncan Brett.
“Our eyes are working overtime to maintain focus. Our research strongly suggests that devices themselves can cause eye strain too. Electronics emit a form of blue light that causes our eyes to refract, making surrounding objects go in and out of focus. To fix this, we overcompensate by squinting”.
Eye-health experts at clearly.com.au offer these easy tips to minimise digital eye strain:
- Observe the 20/20/20 rule – every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.
- Avoid prolonged work on a tablet. Switch to a computer screen that is about 20-28 inches away from eyes.
- Clean electronic device screens frequently to minimise glare.
Talk to your eye-health professional about glasses made specifically to minimise digital eye strain and protect against blue light
