“Don’t sit near the television.” This phrase, repeated by millions of parents throughout history, has a surprising origin, occurring in 1968 in the United States.
Today, what is worrying is no longer the distance at which we look at our devices, but the damage that blue light can cause to our eyes, especially since in our country the average time spent in front of a screen is five hours and 45 minutes, according to a survey carried out by the consultancy Electronics Hubs.
“A few years ago, a series of studies were published that claimed to have found a relationship between exposure to blue light and the appearance of phototoxic damage in a series of retinal photoreceptors, which generated social alarm. However, the different ophthalmological societies, both national and international, analyzed these studies and, unanimously, stated that with the current studies there was no scientific evidence,” in the words of Dr. Ana Isabel Pastor Vivas, deputy head of the Ophthalmology Department of the Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital.
The origin of the myth
In today’s chapter, we look at the origins of the directive that advises not watching television closer than six feet, and we discuss other issues related to eye health, such as whether or not carrots are good for your eyesight.
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