Digital screens are quickly becoming integrated into all aspects of our daily lives. The average American spends 11 hours in front of screens every day while the average child spends seven. In light of emerging research that has shown the dangers of increased screen time, these numbers are startling. The fact that many people are also using two screens at once is compounding these effects. South Texas Eye created the below infographic to explore research that has been done on the link between screen use and our overall health in more detail below.
65% of Americans have reported experiencing the effects of digital eye strain. The symptoms include blurred vision, headaches, back pain and neck pain, to name a few. Screens can also affect our vision in other ways, including causing retinal damage and increasing the risk of long-term vision problems such as cataracts and macular degeneration. It is important to take steps to minimize these effects by implementing the 20-20-20 rule and reducing the glare on your computer screen, as you will see below.
Many people are concerned with how screens are also affecting our children. And, indeed, the research is fairly bleak. As children spend more time in front of screens, their academic success decreases. One study found that children who spend 8.5 or more hours in front of screens dropped one entire grade in four subjects in UK exams. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies under 18 months old do not interact with screens unless they are video chatting with family. We have only touched on a few of the dangerous effects of screens, but the infographic below will explore these issues in more detail below.
Infographic Source: https://www.southtexaseyeinstitute.com/screen-time-affecting-health/
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