I have a laptop that I can carry around pretty easily. I could take it downstairs to the couch, where there is a big TV about 15-20 feet ahead of the couch. Would it be a good idea to use my laptop on the couch, because I could look up and watch the TV?
A few problems with this might be bad posture and potential laptop radiation.
Well it's not a bad idea, but near work doesn't cause myopia, it's strain that does, so it's not a big deal to be working on a laptop for a long time. Glancing up every now and then is a good thing, but you could just do that whenever you're thinking. Having a TV on in front of you while you're doing something as mentally demanding as working on a laptop can be distracting. Central fixation is largely about attention, so it's important to know what it is you want to be attending to, the TV or the laptop.