A search on "too close TV" turned up a column from The Straight Dope. Looks like Cecil beat us to the punch on this one. What does he have to say on the matter? Despite the repeated warnings of your mother, sitting too close to the TV will not damage your eyes.
In his insightful column, Cecil points out, "Prior to 1968 or so some sets emitted excessive X-rays, but that problem has now been eliminated." So no damaging rays are actually given off from the set that can hurt you. However, sitting too close to the TV could strain your eyes. Some eye doctors recommend that you sit no closer than five feet from the TV screen, but this precaution is merely to prevent eye fatigue. There are some people who believe that eyestrain can lead to myopia, or nearsightedness, and a few animal studies seem to support this theory, but there is little conclusive evidence.
Several other sources confirmed that sitting smack dab in front of the TV does not damage your eyes. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, kids, the usual culprits, can focus up close better than adults, so they often develop the habit of sitting right in front of the television. However, sitting too close to the TV may indicate that your child needs glasses.
While TV may not ruin your eyes, the jury is still out as to its effects on your brain.
Perhaps you heard the warning countless times as a child while inching closer and closer to Mighty Mouse or Wonder Woman or Greg Brady. Perhaps you delivered the warning countless times to your children as they inched closer and closer to Knight Rider or Marge Simpson ... or Greg Brady.
"Don't sit so close to the television or it will ruin your eyes!"
Parents have been issuing this warning since televisions first met living rooms, but how true is it? Does sitting too close to the TV really damage your eyes?
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), kids in the United States watch about 4 hours of TV per day. That's more than double the AAP guideline recommendations of children 2 or older viewing no more than 1 to 2 hours of quality programming per day.
TV Facts
It's not at all surprising that the vast majority of children and adults share in the experience of watching television on a daily basis. In fact, a whopping 99% of all U.S. families have at least one television set in their home. It is convenient, relatively inexpensive, and always available.
Most children plug into the world of television long before they enter school, and an astonishing 70% of child-care centers use TV during a typical day.
Eye Knew It!
So when you or your children are practically sitting inside the TV, are your eyes suffering?
Dr. Lee Duffner, spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, responds in his professional opinion: "Hogwash. You won't cause any physical damage to your eyes."
Actually, your eyes have specialized muscles that control the shape of the eye lens (for focusing) and your eye movements (to keep the eyes moving together). If an object is closer to the eye, as it is when you are close to the TV, the muscles controlling the lens automatically change, or accommodate its shape to bring the object into proper focus.
Some children and adults see the images on a television screen more clearly if they sit closer to it. According to The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), kids can actually focus up close without eyestrain better than adults, so they often develop the habit of sitting right in front of the television or holding reading material close to their eyes.
Research concludes that although television won't harm the eyes, it may cause eye fatigue if you are sitting too close to it for a long period of time. Fortunately though, the tiny eye muscles mentioned above are like other muscles in the body: they may fatigue, but they are
