Staring at computer screens all day is ruining our eyes, study shows

Are your eyes getting a bit itchy as you're reading this story? You might be suffering from symptoms that mimic those of a chronic ailment called dry eye syndrome, according to a new study by the School of Medicine at Keio University in Tokyo.

Researchers have found that the more time you spend in front of computer screens, the more likely you are to experience eye problems like tearing and eyelid soreness due to the lack of coating of protective moisture. Anyone who has been on a plane or driven in a convertible has experienced similar but temporary symptoms of dry and irritable eyes. Those that have dry eye disease, however, live with these conditions every day and can suffer complications like infections and even scarring.

The new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology this month, followed 96 Tokyo office workers, measuring levels of a particular protein – MUC5AC – which is secreted from the upper eyelid and is part of the naturally-occurring mucous layer or tear film that keeps the eye moist.

Their findings show that as many as 7% percent of men and 14% of women had full-blown dry eye disease, complaining of eye irritation and blurred vision on a daily basis.  Not suprisingly, participants who complained of irritable eyes the most worked a full seven-hour day in front of a screen had the least amount of this protective protein in their eyes.

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Yuichi Uchino, an author of the new study told Reuters that the fact that people open their eyes wider while concentrating on tasks and blink less when staring at computers and tablets appears to speed tear evaporation associated with dry eye syndrome.

"We advise the office workers suffering from ocular fatigue and dry eye symptoms that they should blink more frequently in an intended manner during (screen use), and that they should use artificial tears," said  Yuichi Hori, an opthamologist not involved in the new study, according to Huffington Post.

Hi-Tech Risks

So it seems that physical changes in our eyes is just one more strike against the sedentary lifestyle that besets our technology-based society.

It has been shown that sitting for hours on end in front of a  computer or television is the new smoking,  increasing our risk for various illnesses later life like cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Now a new German study released this week finally puts some hard numbers on just how dangerous it can be.

The sobering study finds that for every two hours spent sitting in front of a screen, be it the computer or television, increases your risk of colon cancer by 8 percent, of endometrial cancer by 10 percent and of lung cancer by 6 percent.  Even if you religiously go for that lunchtime walk or hit the gym every day, being a couch potato for any length of time can slowly lead to these diseases.

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The good news is that we can all lower our risk by reducing our times in front of our screens and living a more active lifestyle, said health and fitness researcher Mark Tremblay in an interview with CTV News.

“There’s something about sitting too much – even if you have some physical activity in your lifestyle –there’s something about it that is bad for your health. And we now know it’s bad for our metabolism, for our heart and for prevention of different types of cancer,” he explained.

“We can do that through walking meetings, through standing meetings – different things that’ll just get us out of our seat.”

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