1. Do computers damage the eyes or reduce eyesight? Yuko Ohmori

2. Table of content About myself Myth about computers PEMR Method/cure to eyestrains

3. About myself 1 I chose this topic because my eyes are bad I use my computer VERY often and wanted to know if it was the cause of my low eyesight When I was 11 years old, I got my first laptop I used it everyday, every night At that time, I still had very good eyesight

4. About myself 2 Later on, I bought myself my first iPod I also used it everyday and night As time passed, I noticed that my vision was not as great as a few years ago In fact, my eyes were so bad (0.2 on both) that I had to get glasses I went to an eye doctor several times

5. About myself 3 After I got my glasses, I started blaming myself for the overuse of computers and iPods. But in reality, I found out that it was not the computer that reduced my eyesight, but was just the genes Both my father and my mother have very bad eyesight My father is near sighted and my mother is far sighted

6. Myth about computers 1 Computers DO NOT damage or reduce eyesight People misunderstand with “eyestrain” The effects of eye strains are not equivalent to eye damage It WAS true in the old days with PEMR (I’ll get there later) but not true now-a-days technology

7. Myth about computers 2 Eyestrain - fatigue of the eyes The reason that we get dry eyes is because we tend to blink fewer when the eyes are concentrated on one object (in this case the computer screen) The reason our eyes become blurry is because when we rest our eyes, we have to focus somewhere else And when that happens, the ciliary muscles tighten and soften rapidly That is why the vision blurs out.

8. Myth about computers 3 Think about it this way Looking at a light bulb in the dark will make your eyes dizzy Same with computers, it is like a light bulb Computers are visible because the pixels in them are just illuminated Hence computers itself does not damage or reduce eyesight

9. PEMR 1 Pulsed electromagnetic radiation Generated only from CRT based computers The electrons which flow on the screen of the CRT based computer create the radiation The radiation, when at close range, disturbs the balance of all living cells, including the cells in the eyes

10. PEMR 2 However, now-a-days computers no longer are based on CRT, but rather on LED and LCD Hence the computers did not affect or reduce my eye sight (in this generation) CRT displays were used in the 19170-80, so it is not linked to me We can say the computers do damage eyes, but that is only in the old days and now it is false information

11. Method/cure to eyestrains 1 Though computers do not harm the eyes, it does indeed give you eye strains The best method to prevent ANY eye strain is to use the 20-20-20 method Every 20 minutes, look away at an object 20 feet away, for 20 seconds By doing this, the eyes will not get too used to the computer monitor, hence no blur or dry itchiness

12. Method/cure to eyestrains 2 If your eyes are feeling itchy, it is because you are concentrating too much Relax Have a drink of water Look at green things, because the eyes tend to relax better If it itches very badly, use an eye drop to liquify the eyes.

13. Reference SacredEdenBlog.com. (2010, October 7). How to Prevent Computer Eye Damage [Motion picture]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5Xe3bTYego ExplainingComputers. (2010, August 23). ‪ Computing Health and Safety ‬ [Motion picture]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8qGO7XQ0Uw&feature=related Des. (2008). Does a computer damage your eye sight ? In Yahoo Answers [Computers do not affect eyesight]. Retrieved from http://answers.yahoo.com/question/ index?qid=20080908142609AArCvsK BioShield. (2009). Are Computer Monitors Harmful to Your Health? In emfbioshield [now-a-days computer screens are not harmful to the eye]. Retrieved from http://www.emfbioshield.com/arecrt.html Anonymous. (2008). Is watching television in the dark bad for your eyes? Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/ Is_watching_television_in_the_dark_bad_for_your_eyes#ixzz1McJma9gP. In Answers [Watching any lighted display in the dark does not damage the eyes. They are pixels that are illuminated by light, which is like the same thing as looking at a lightbulb in the dark.]. Retrieved from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_watching_television_in_the_dark_bad_for_your_eyes Rubin, M. (2010). Myths & Old Wives’ Tales About Your Eyes. In GrandTimes [There are many eye related myths that are false, one being that watching something bright in the dark does not damage the eyes]. Retrieved from http://www.grandtimes.com/eyes.html State Government of Victoria. (2010). Eye disorders – some common problems. In BettleHealth [Some causes of eye itchyness and blurry viseion + cures]. Retrieved from http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/ bhcarticles.nsf/pages/eye_disorders_some_common_problems?open