his piece is presently featured on Blogcritics.
Aging causes enough strains on the body with all its new ailments and dysfunctions.
The idea is to keep them at bay by spending your youth in healthy pursuits (sex, swimming and soy-based foods might lead the list).
There was a time (long ago) when we were told that masturbation would cause blindness. “They” dropped that nonsense when no one believed them.
Recently someone in Blogcritics referred to blogging as “mental masturbation”. He was, of course, basically correct. When I look at my site meters and comments on my BC articles I see that I write to entertain myself. That is OK since I am entertained.
Here, however, is the crux of the matter: blogging is fun. So is masturbation, of course, or so many wouldn’t do it so often.
The Internet is, inherently, fun. It is filled with ideas, information, entertainment (more and more) and the love of gadgets. But there are risks for the unwary. It is addictive and addictions carry risks.
Medical News Today’s website reported an excellent
article and warning entitled Caring For Your Eyes In A Digital World.
The article warns of overuse of not only computers but the growing number of information-laden small gadgets.
Staring at a computer monitor or the small screens on most devices can lead to a variety of ailments, including headaches, eyestrain, blurred vision, dry and irritated eyes, neck and/or backache and sensitivity to light. “Eye stress and strain may be caused by a combination of individual visual problems, improper viewing habits and poor environmental conditions, such as glare, improper workstation set up, dirty screens, poor lighting and viewing angles,” explains Dr. Anshel, who has helped companies and government agencies, including Mitsubishi, American Airlines, 3M and the Department of Labor address the high stress area of vision demands in relation to working with computer monitors.
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A study of optometrists found that “more than 14 percent reported eye problems related to computer use. Of contact lens wearers (2000 in the study) 41% reported computer use as a major cause of discomfort.
Dr. Jeffrey Anshel, who authored Visual Ergonomics in the Workplace and a working optometrist, offers cogent advice on avoiding eye strain and vision problems stemming from computer use which is well worth studying. He mentions proper monitor positioning and taking a 20 second break every 20 minutes while you focus your eyes on a point at least 20 feet past the monitor. There is also an interactive vision quiz called “Eye Q’s and Views”.
I, myself, presently appear to be developing a cataract which must wait for treatment until I return to the first world. Was it caused by the computer and blogging addiction I developed when I bought my first iBook three years ago? Since a doctor saw a small cataract there 12 years ago after a heart attack and I have spent 50 years with the right eye glued to cameras, darkroom grain magnifiers, loupes to examine 35mm slides or, worse, the slides without the loupe and the rest of my time with my nose in a book, the answer is “no, but…” I will never know and, anyway, the loss of vision is slowing my computer use.
The moral of the story is:
Think while working at a computer. Take that 20 second break, check out the quiz and the list of preventive measures. Visit Blogcritics for 20 minutes, rest 20 seconds and then have another read. Keep on blogging — but a bit more carefully. Have your eyes checked professionally on a regular basis.
