Hi all! I'm curious if video games are good or bad for eyesight. I've heard mixed things, and I'm curious everyone's opinion.
Why they can be good:
In action games in particular, there is a LOT of movement on screen.
Why they can be bad?
Of course, you are looking at a screen, a 2 dimensional plane. Could this potentially be damaging? That, in combination with the natural computer radiation?
It depends on you, not the activity. If you're straining, it's bad, If you're relaxed, it's good. This applies to video games and "vision exercises" and just about everything else.
As Nancy already said it depends not on the activity. I think it can actually be good if you are really engadged into the game but the relaxation should be the most important thing to always remember
Video games are excellent for your eyesight!
:-)
The trick is... and this is where people get confused:
How far are you playing from?
If you play close-up, you are improving your close-up vision. (no you are not ruining your far vision when you look close, the same way as rowing will not make you a bad runner. Only not running will make you a bad runner. :-))
If you want to improve your far vision, then also play from far. For example, play a console game like minecraft or an action game on a larger television from across the room or gradually move back if you can't at first.
Recently I have discovered that video games can be at times quite helpful for my hypermetropia.
Especially those of counter-strike style.
The reason probably lies in the fact that in them people are moving all the time, your surrounding is beeng changed constantly, and you need to think what to do next quickly. The eyes are unfrozen and the mind is very active. And since I'm deeply involved in them I don't consider the computer as my enemy - the screen stands 15 inches close but I don't mind.
Of course, the bad thing is that I kill innocent people, but for improvement one needs to sacrifice something...
Ok, but what about central-fixation and the urge to see everything at once on the screen ? Plus, the strain if something is not going according to plan.
I've been playing computer games for years. Often many hours a day. I got my first precription this year on January ( -1 spherical / - 1 cylinder). I blame games for this.
08-03-2016, 10:00 AM (This post was last modified: 08-03-2016, 10:01 AM by Nancy.)
(08-01-2016, 06:39 AM)Shade Wrote: Ok, but what about central-fixation and the urge to see everything at once on the screen ? Plus, the strain if something is not going according to plan.
I've been playing computer games for years. Often many hours a day. I got my first precription this year on January ( -1 spherical / - 1 cylinder). I blame games for this.
The only way to really "see everything at once" is to let your eyes move very fast around the scene from point to point to point, central fixation combined with healthy saccadic movement. Any strain will disrupt this, either the physical strain of looking through glasses, or the mental strain of worry.
In college and years after I spent loads of time playing first person shooters. I don't anymore, but there's a lot to be said for how they can affect us. Aside from all the issues with computer use, those games in particular mess with your sense of depth. Not horribly, but your eyes want to change focus a lot, the same as how they want to move direction a lot, and when you restrict the distance for hours at a time your eyes can get stuck there.
Unlike other computer use, with games you HAVE to react quickly and see everything as quickly as possible. When you have vision problems, that's just too much for you to handle. your worst habits take over, you don't stay relaxed, you stop breathing, your whole system tenses up.
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