Might looking at screens for too long be harmful to our eyes?
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHWoman holding a tablet(photo credit: ING IMAGE/ASAP)My husband, 56, works as a computer programmer. He recently bought a 13-inch iPad and instead of reading books by turning the pages, which he liked very much, he reads electronic books for hours on his iPad. I wonder whether so many hours opposite screens is bad for his eyes. His vision was not good until he underwent a laser operation on his eyes 10 years ago and now goes without eyeglasses.Is reading from many hours a day from an iPad or Kindle harmful to the eyes? Also, he exercises on an elliptical machine and has placed a shelf in front of it to watch movies or read books while he goes up and down on the exercise machine.He said that such machines come with video at gyms, so they must not be dangerous to the eyes. But I’m not so sure. What does an ophthalmologist say?— L.M., Hadera Prof. Jacob Pe’er, chairman of the ophthalmology department at Hadassah University Medical Center, responds: Your husband can read electronic books and use the iPad freely. It will not harm his eyes. He also can watch movies during his exercises.Dr. David Varssano, a leading ophthalmologist at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center adds: Watching screens is what many of us do most of our days, at work and at home. Reading from an electronic device is fine, as long as the letter borders are sharply defined and the illumination is good. Your husband can use a screen while exercising as long as he is comfortable with that. There is no damage from that either.Is there any medical evidence that air purifiers help relieve respiratory symptoms for people with allergies or asthma? There seems to be a very high level of dust in my home, and my neighbors tell me that they have the same problem.Perhaps this is partly caused by construction of isolated buildings as well as new neighborhoods in my area. There are also several sandstorms each year and a great deal of sand enters my home.I know that purchasing a vacuum cleaner with a hepa filter is the first line of defense. But, I want to know if there is anything further that can be done – namely, an air purifier. Would an air purifier help with the dust caused by construction, which is a constant issue? Would it help with the sand that enters one’s home during sandstorms? If air purifiers really do help, what does one look for? I priced one at NIS 6,600. Is this a case where you really get what you pay for and you need top of the line to get real results?
—S.A., Beit ShemeshProf. Gabriel Izbicki, director of Shaare Zedek Medical Center’s pulmonary institute, answers: Symptoms caused by poor indoor air quality can include irritated eyes, nose, and throat, headaches, dizziness and fatigue. Symptoms of some diseases, including asthma and respiratory allergies, can be triggered by exposure to indoor allergens and irritants. Americans spend about $10 billion a year on non-medicinal products marketed to people with asthma and allergies such as vacuum cleaners, air cleaners, toys, etc. Often these products advertise a wide variety of features and benefits including suitability for those with asthma and allergies, the ability to prevent allergen accumulation, and in some extreme cases, promising improved health for consumers without providing scientific proof or validation for such claims.Many products promise to help control allergens, but some make false or exaggerated claims. This makes it hard for consumers to know the best products to buy.Nevertheless, some air cleaners are able to reduce the bio-allergen level in a defined space. The bio-allergen reduction is a result of actual removal and not just redistribution. Some of them are certified “asthma and allergy friendly.”It is the consumer’s responsibility to check the certification value and who is standing behind it (a commercial group or a certified medical authority).The reduction in bio-allergens may help allergic and asthmatic people, but the help is limited. This is not a medical treatment or a medically proved device for allergic and asthmatic people. It may help in addition to the regular allergic and asthmatic medical follow-up, recommendations and treatment. The allergen-avoidance market continues to grow as a result of increased consumer demand, but currently there is little or no regulation governing this issue.Rx for Readers welcomes queries from readers about medical problems. Experts will answer those we find most interesting. Write Rx for Readers, The Jerusalem Post, POB 81, Jerusalem 9100002, fax your question to Judy Siegel-Itzkovich at (02) 538-9527, or e-mail it to jsiegel@jpost.com, giving your initials, age and place of residence.