In a discussion about our preferred reading media, my friend Manuel J. K. Muranga asked me whether e-book reading was safe for human eyes. Manuel and I share a passion for printed books, and we readily plead guilty to being more comfortable with Johannes Gutenberg than with Bill Gates. So, I admit bias on the subject. To be sure, I am yet to read the Holy Bible online. Irrational, yes, but there it is.
That said, you ought to be interested in my answer to Manuel, given that you are one of almost 5 billion people who stare at a computer screen every day. My answer is based on evidence-based literature in peer reviewed journals, not on personal opinion.
A new disorder has recently been added to the ever-growing list of lifestyle diseases. Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a manifestation of dry eye-related symptoms, including irritation, burning sensation, foreign body sensation (ekitokoozi), eye dryness, tearing (emiziga, amaziga, machozi), tired eyes, and general eye discomfort.
Chemical changes in tears, reduction of tear volume, and alteration of markers of inflammation in the eyes have been shown in several independent studies of computer display exposure. So, CVS is now a recognised cause of dry eye disease (DED).
A combination of contact lenses and digital screen display use increases the risk of DED. Other factors that worsen the risk for DED include increasing age, female gender, screen glare, poor image quality of digital text, decreased blink rate, incomplete eyelid closure, duration of screen exposure at a time, and high environmental temperature/low humidity.
Treatment: Prevention – always! Optimum environmental temperature and humidity is key. Blink exercises, use of artificial tear drops, omega-3 fatty acid supplements, screen filters, correct display position, frequent breaks from the screen are helpful. If you have symptoms, please see your family doctor or an eye doctor.
My personal practice: I try to follow the above and, more importantly, I prefer to read printed books and journals except when I need very quick access to professional information. I also must read online professional journals, a privilege that was difficult to enjoy before the advent of subscription-only digital libraries. Frankly, I still miss digging into a full professional journal, turning the pages without rushing through the way I tend to read online publications.
Social media use: I have not yet figured out how to minimize reading posts without missing those that contain the poster’s own ideas. How I wish we could all agree to post our own thoughts, original information and questions and stop forwarding other people’s publications! I am as guilty as my friend Oluwabusola Mugisha Thabane in succumbing to the temptation to think that because I like it, my friends should read it too.
Why do we think that we are the only ones who must have read an article we liked, so we must inflict it upon others? We should really get rid of that practice. I’ll try.