New Delhi: We have been warned constantly against the consequences of using our smartphones in bed. Contrary to the general understanding that it only affects our sleeping pattern, a recent report tells that this habit can spell much more trouble than we could ever have imagined.
A group of London ophthalmologists have said in a study that use of smartphones before going to bed can lead to temporary blindness. The study came after two women consulted their doctor with similar problems.
In the report, doctors in New England Journal of Medicine shared two cases. In the first case, a 22-year-old woman said she had been struggling to see out of her right eye at night for several months. In the second case, a 40-year-old woman said she had blurry vision from one eye for around 15 minutes when she woke up most mornings.
Both patients were subjected to variety of medical exams, MRI scans and heart tests, only to have the mystery unravelled after tests at a different eye specialist’s office.
The eyes which had vision problems were the eyes that they normally used to check their smartphones, while their other eye was buried in their pillows while lying in bed.
A research was conducted wherein people held a smartphone viewing its screen with only one eye. The eye sensitivity was then measured and results concluded that the eyesight problem is caused due to the light of the smartphones.
The team said that such cases of blindness may increase as smartphone use continues to infiltrate all aspects of our daily routine. They also said that this can be avoided if both eyes are used when looking at your smartphone screen in the dark.
