Results of TV study

Actually, apricot, I do not watch much television, but I do listen to it a lot.
I'm listening to it now, on 130, the news channel. I do not need to watch.
But at 40p a day, I find it invaluable.
I agree I could just listen to the radio, if that's all I do, but I cannot record the radio, whereas I can record programmes I want to watch again.
My sister worked on computers for the Post Office, and had eyetests every year, and vouchers towards glasses. She left when it was privatised. I doubt whether the union is as strong now. Do Post Office workers still get free eye tests?

I have no idea if there is evidence or not.
But I cant see that many organisations, both public and private, offer free yearly eye tests for no reason.

I will look for evidence on sunday.

The firm that I worked for offered yearly eye tests and a contribution towards glasses.

Vision Express's website states:

" The legal requirements
Free eyesight tests must be provided for “users” on their request or where there is visual difficulty in carrying out display screen work – the tests must be repeated at appropriate intervals, i.e. every two years or as advised by an optician. Where glasses or other corrective appliances are necessary the employer must provide those free of charge, but only to the extent of the cost of basic frames and the lens prescription necessary to do the display screen work.
Who is entitled to eye and eyesight tests?
The DSE Regulations were designed to protect employees and self-employed people who habitually use display screen equipment as a significant part of their normal work"

News Medical website states:

"People who look at computers frequently, (in particular those that look at a computer for more than three hours a day), may experience symptoms such as:

Eye discomfort
Headaches
Itchy eyes
Dry or watering eyes
Burning sensations
Changes in color perception
Blurred vision
Difficulty focussing

"Eyestrain is a type of repetitive strain injury (RSI) that is caused by insufficient rest periods, incorrect working conditions and so forth."

I doubt that it would be possible to prove that looking at computer screens can permanently damage eyesight - and I would think there would be little appetite to do so. Imagine the amount of compensation that might have to be paid out to workers who spend many hours on computers.

www.nhs.uk/livewell/eyehealth/pages/eyesafety.aspx

It can make existing eye problems worse.

computer screens are said to be very bad for the eyes - especially for children.

That's the part of your post I was querying, Eloethan, and I'm still none the wiser as to where your information came from.

If it's true that watching computers is very bad for children's eyes, I'd have thought it would have been more widely publicised, that's all.

DS works as a computer programmer and gets eye tests.

Ana The American website All About Vision states:

"Many pediatric eye doctors believe that heavy computer use among children puts them at risk for early myopia. Recent research appears to confirm that fear.

"A large study conducted by the National Eye Institute and published in the December 2009 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology found that the prevalence of nearsightedness among Americans has increased from 25 percent to 41.6 percent of the population over the past 30 years — an increase of more than 66 percent.

"Also, among people with 12 or more years of formal education, the prevalence of myopia is now as high as 59.8 percent.

"Sitting for hours in front of a computer screen stresses a child's eyes because the computer forces the child's vision system to focus and strain a lot more than any other task. This can put children at an even greater risk than adults for developing symptoms of computer vision syndrome."

Given that all areas of employment and leisure are now heavily dependent on computers, it would be a massive inconvenience - and expense -if screens were found to damage eyesight.