Be smart: Use your smartphone wisely to prevent blindness!
By “There are about 40 million smartphone users in Nigeria,” I announced to the interactive audience. “Fantastico! Just about the same number of users in my country,” exclaimed Tony, my Italian friend.
I carefully cautioned Tony about the use of statistics. I explained to him that Nigeria’s population of about 200 million is more than three times that of Italy. That means approximately seven out of 10 Italians carry a smartphone while only about four out of 10 Nigerians do.
What I thought was going to be an orderly question and answer session was about to turn rowdy as almost as many hands as were present were raised to ask questions. How do I tackle this?
“Don’t you have a smartphone? Be smart! Use it!” a voice within me prompted. I have a fairly good one with an app which is capable of recording and organising questions and browsing the web for appropriate answers so that the lecturer could reply in a well-coordinated manner.
I switched on my Phone and activated the App, named Jake. There were over 50 people with burning questions. We listened patiently to their questions while Jake recorded, processed and browsed the web for appropriate answers.
“Dr. Ben, three listeners ask, What are smartphones? Shall I reply on your behalf?” Jake asked. “Yes, Jake, please go ahead,” I said to the intelligent phone, already primed to recognise my voice and respond. It momentarily crossed my mind that I would soon be irrelevant as a teacher, if I was not smart enough to stay abreast or in line with technological advances!
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“A smartphone is a mobile phone that works as a computer, sending and receiving emails, text and multimedia messages, taking photographs and videos, playing games, browsing the internet, processing banking transactions, locating the exact user’s directions and any programmed activity such as this,” Jake explained.
“Fantastico!” everyone exclaimed in unison, mimicking Tony. Jake stunned the audience who did not know that it had recorded their names and voices as they were introducing themselves. Now using the programmed voice recognition system, it said, “The next question is from Mr Ade,” and mimicking, Mr Ade’s voice, “What is the difference between a smartphone and a cell phone?”
“It is quite simple,” Jake replies simulating my voice, “A smartphone is a mobile phone with more than basic cell phone capabilities – that can do one or more of the functions described above.” “Awesome! Eccezionale!,” interjected Tony who could not hide his admiration for Jake.
“Dr. Ben, six members of the audience have asked, ‘How do smartphones work?’” Jake is quick to respond, “Each cell phone has an antenna that receives cell phone signals. The antenna transmits signals just like a radio station and your phone picks up those signals just as a radio does. Smartphones use cell phone network technology (that’s the technology by which two or more computers are connected and communicate information between them) to send and receive data.”
“About 25 people asked the same question in slightly different ways.” Jake remarked. “Are smartphones bad for the eyes? Do phones damage your eyes? Is it bad to sleep with your phones? Is using your phones at night bad for your eyes? I will take all the questions together,” Jake replies.
“Staring at smartphone screens for a long time can harm eyesight and eye health in several ways. First, because we tend to blink less frequently when we are concentrating on the screen or on any object of interest, the tear film that normally keeps the ocular surface moist, protecting it and enhancing vision tends to dry up leading to “dry eye disease.”
This may cause a smarting or burning sensation in the eyes after prolong viewing of the smartphone or laptop. There may be paradoxical watering (tearing) of the eye and intermittent blurring of vision.
“A 2017 study found that those who spent a lot of time on a smartphone or tablet were more prone to “dry eye disease” owing to chronic deficiency of tears which should provide a protective layer for the ocular surfaces. The eye may become easily irritated with loss of transparency of the cornea and visual impairment if ignored.
“The study also found that once the smartphones were taken away, the dry eye symptoms reduced drastically. A recent study also reported that smartphones may damage eyesight from prolonged, frequent exposure to blue-light. The high energy visible light emitted from most smartphones, tablets and laptops promotes the growth of “poisonous molecules” in the eyes which may lead to macular degeneration several years later.
“This is just one study and the evidence is insufficient to blame it all on blue-light! It is however notable that blue light is not filtered by our cornea or pupils so it’s beamed directly to our retinas, where it may cause damage. Some people are so attached to their smartphones that they put them by their side or under their pillow when they sleep.
“Cell phones pump out electromagnetic radiation whenever they’re on. This means sleeping with one nearby boosts one’s exposure all night long. Using your phone or laptop at night in a dark room could therefore work with other risk factors to damage your macula. During the day or in proper lighted conditions, the effect is negligible.”
“Jake thank you for this beautiful, well-coordinated interactive session.” I took over the discussion. “Ladies and gentlemen,” I said, “There is a gap in knowledge at the moment. We do not know the full health challenges posed by smartphones. Your eyes are precious and even if you’re the only person out of a 100 to suffer from the deleterious effects of smartphones, for you, it is 100%. Therefore, be smart, use smartphone wisely to prevent visual impairment.
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