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Are E-Readers Bad for Your Eyes? Well... Depends, Docs Say

by Caleb Johnson on February 13, 2010 at 05:01 PM

Like it or not, e-readers are here to stay. For instance, recall that one day near the end of 2009 when Amazon sold more digital books for the Kindle than it did physical books. But, as more and more folks turn to the screen instead of bound paper, some questions are being asked. For instance, is using an e-reader bad for your eyes?

According to The New York Times, there's no cut and dry answer. First, doctors say holding an e-reader close to your face doesn't hurt your vision. (Sorry Mom, but sitting close to the TV doesn't, either.) Second, lighting is more important than you might think. In some instances, the font displayed on an LCD screen might be easier on the eyes than paper. But the opposite could be true, too.

But more than the screen itself, according to Dr. Travis Meridith, chair of the ophthalmology department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, it's how we look that matters most. "The current problem with reading on screens is that we need to adjust our bodies to our computer screens, rather than the screens adjusting to us," he told the New York Times.

In other words, make sure you blink from time to time. Every once in a while, it doesn't hurt to get up and completely take a break from staring at the screen. Like most things in life, moderation is key. [From: The New York Times]

Tags: books, e-book, e-reader, eye, health, kindle, lcd, reading, top

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