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telly vision

It’s a myth that sitting too close to the TV damages your eyesight, and here’s why

The myth stems from the 1960s, when a company sold faulty colour televisions that emitted excessive amounts of radiation due to a factory error

MOST of us will be familiar with our parents telling us off for sitting too close to the TV for fear we'd end up with "square eyes".

But it turns out there is zero truth to the myth that putting our faces too close to the screens is damaging to our eyesight.

 

 Sitting too close to the TV may give you a headache, but it won't impair your vision
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Sitting too close to the TV may give you a headache, but it won't impair your visionCredit: Alamy

While it may land you with a headache, it's certainly not going to impair your vision.

So where did this bizarre ruse come from?

The myth actually dates back to a time in the late 1960s, when for a brief period sitting too close to the TV could actually cause you some harm - that is, if you owned a General Electric set.

In 1967, the company admitted that many of their colour televisions were emitting excessive radiation, due to a factory error.

At the time, health officials estimated the amount of dodgy x-rays coming from these defective TVs was around 10 to 100,000 times higher than was then deemed acceptable.

 The myth actually dates back to a time in the late 1960s, when for a brief period sitting too close to the TV could actually cause you some harm
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The myth actually dates back to a time in the late 1960s, when for a brief period sitting too close to the TV could actually cause you some harmCredit: Getty Images

As a result, they recommended keeping kids a safe distance away.

They pointed out that as long as you put several feet between you and the TV, and didn't watch it for more than an hour at a time at close range, most likely you'd be fine.

Eventually General Electric recalled the faulty TVs and fixed the problem by adding a leaded glass shield around the tubes.

This made pressing your nose up against the screen perfectly safe once again, though the stigma has lingered to this day.

 It might be worth getting your child's eyes tested if they feel the need to sit very close to the TV screen
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It might be worth getting your child's eyes tested if they feel the need to sit very close to the TV screenCredit: Alamy

While sitting close to the TV may not make a person nearsighted, the reason they feel the necessity to sit in such close proximity may be because they are nearsighted and undiagnosed.

If you or your child habitually sit too close to the television for comfort, it might be worthwhile getting your eyes tested.

Watching too much TV may also cause eye strain and fatigue - make sure you turn it off early enough to get a good night's sleep.

Think you've got expert vision? Only people with superb eyesight can see these virtually invisible objects in this test.

Last year we told how toddlers who watch too much TV grow into ‘antisocial misfits’ who can become violent at 13.