Reading is unhealthy?!

We have all  read articles or heard stories on the news that explain how computers and televisions cause   bad vision as well as bad habits such as starring at a monitor screen for several hours. New reading devices, such as the kindle, require readers to read books off a lit-up screen that is very similar to any regular computer screen. Reading has never been seen as, "unhealthy" but with new devices creating a new way of reading, people have questioned if ebooks and reading tablets create unhealthy reading

According to slate.com, research in the past has shown that long exposure to lit-up screens may cause nearsightedness as well as headaches, irritated eyes, and dizziness. More recent research has shown that Kindles and iPads cause relatively the same side affects because readers read ebooks on screens just as long as they watch TV or surf the web. In addition, reading tablets are continuously becoming smaller, requiring users to hold the tablets directly in front of their faces and having the screen light shine directly into their eyes.

Reading device companies argue that their devices are not as harmful as television and computer screens. The kindle and the nook display their text in E Ink, which is a gadget that displays reading content on a page that is very similar to a traditional printed page. Even so, readers are still reading off an illuminated screen, which probably does not make much of a difference.

Should we compare this...

Courtesy of google images

to this?

Courtesy of google images

What about this? 

Traditional reading still requires readers to stare at something for a certain amount of time which may be strenuous to the eyes...

Courtesy of google images

So maybe ebooks and tablets are not to blame for; it might just be reading in general! 

The school of optometry at UC Berkeley conducted a study which suggested that, "there is no compelling evidence in the literature that suggests there is a significant increase in the risk of myopia onset or progression from the use of VDTs by adults compared to other forms of near work". In other words, lit-up screens can cause nearsightedness as well as a traditional book. During this study, doctors tracked subjects' levels of nearsightedness and compared the levels to the amount of hours the subjects spent reading, watching TV, or used the computer.

BUT WAIT! 

Studies show that any near work can cause nearsightedness and reading a book up close or on a tablet just increases your risk! Although there is plenty of evidence to prove that tablets and computer screens cause minor effects such as headaches, there are ways that you can read your ebook on a tablet and reduce your risk of long term effects such as nearsightedness. To help yourself, you can:

1. Turn down the brightness on your reading tablet

2. Don't read your tablet in the dark! This will only increase the brightness on the screen, obviously.

3. Take breaks in between reading. Spending continuous hours reading is not good.

4. Don't hold your tablet or book so close to your face!

These are great ways of promoting healthy reading :)