Are Your Gadgets Making You Sick?

Ever wondered how gadgets affect our health? Stephanie Yap finds out from the doctors what to look out for.

- Stephanie Yap

Do you own a smartphone, TV, laptop, or tablet? Chances are, you spend more time on your gadgets than you do on sleep. According to an Ofcom study, in a day, the average adult spends eight hours and 41 minutes on their gadgets, compared to eight hours and 21 minutes on sleep. This proves that most of us spend half of our waking hours staring at a screen, rather than engaging in healthy activities that benefit our bodies. While personal devices have undoubtedly improved our lives, over reliance and addiction comes with negative health consequences.

1 Eye strain 

Research conducted by the College of Optometrists found that we spend nearly 50 hours a week looking at screens, which is bad news for our eyes. Prolonged usage can result in computer vision syndrome (CVS), a term coined by the American Optometric Association. CVS, or digital eye strain, is a blanket term for eye- and vision-related problems that occur from focusing the eyes on a computer or other electronic gadgets for long periods of time. “Those who suffer from CVS often complain of discomfort in the eyes and vision problems,” explains Dr Dinesh Kumar Ramesh Chandra, a consultant ophthalmologist at Columbia Asia Hospital. Prolonged use of gadgets may also cause the early development of presbyopia – farsightedness that usually occurs in middle and old age.