Reading on paper may have more advantages than you think!
From working at a computer to socializing, playing games, paying bills, taking notes in class, doing homework, reading books, watching TV and texting, we are all spending an increasing amount of our lives looking at screens. But at what cost to our health?
To start with, screen time is very hard on our eyes. More and more people who use screens for at least four hours a day are experiencing symptoms which include eyestrain, tired eyes, irritation, redness, blurred vision, and double vision, collectively referred to as computer vision syndrome.(i)
Reading on a screen is more demanding than reading printed material. Online reading requires frequent saccadic eye movements (rapid movements of the eyes that abruptly change the point of fixation) and continuous focusing which are visually and physically fatiguing(ii). We tend to blink less when looking at screens meaning our eyes dry out more and dry eye disorders may be the result.(iii, iv) Although not generally serious they can result in more frequent eye infections and inflammation(v).
*Source: http://www.twosidesna.org - "What Is All This Screen Time Doing to Our Health?" by Phil Riebel
