GREENSBORO, North Carolina — “Blood veins in your eyes burst…playing on your phone." That Facebook post will make do a double take, so it’s no wonder it’s been shared thousands of times. But it's just more proof you should look at Facebook posts with a critical eye.
According to Hoax Slayer: "The injury appears to be a subconjunctival hemorrhage. This condition can have a number of causes, including violent coughing or sneezing, vomiting, or straining. However, there are no credible medical reports that suggest that the condition can be caused by simply playing a video game for a prolonged period."
So that post is false. But there is still reason to be worried. Eye doctors are seeing a marked increase in conditions such as dry eye and nearsightedness in children.
“Looking at the screens up close cause the eye to shift focus and over time, and can cause the eyeball to lengthen, which can lead to or worsen nearsightedness,” said Julia Calderone, Consumer Reports Health Editor.
New research suggests that blue light emitted by smartphones, tablets, computers and TVs might, over time, damage the retina, the thin layer at the back of the eye that contains light-sensitive cells.
Experts agree that children's eyes need regular breaks from tech activities in what is called the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look out a window or at an object that is at least 20 feet away, for 20 seconds.
Less time than you probably spent looking at that debunked Facebook post.