Woman goes virtually blind due to smartphone

A woman from Hyderabad was found to have developed "Smartphone Vision Syndrome," leading to a decline in her vision. Here's what happened.

Prolonged use of smartphones can have a serious impact on your eyesight. (Pexels)

If you use your smartphone for prolonged periods, then beware as you might lose your eyesight as is clear from this shocking incident shared by Dr. Sudhir Kumar MD DM. The doctor recently shared a case study of a patient, a 30-year-old woman named Manju, who has experienced vision problems due to her prolonged use of smartphones. In a series of tweets, the doctor explained the root cause of "Smartphone Vision Syndrome" (SVS).

The doctor said that his patient, Manju, began experiencing vision problems after she left her job as a beautician to care for her child. She reportedly used smartphones for hours on end each day, including spending over two hours at night in a dark room. This resulted in her seeing "floaters", bright flashes of light, dark zig-zag lines, and at times inability to see or even focus on any object. Instead of turning to medication, the doctor provided counseling to Manju and advised her to reduce her smartphone usage.

He tweeted that "Manju was anxious as she feared something sinister with her brain nerves but was finally determined to take corrective action. She said- ‘instead of minimizing, I will stop looking at smartphone screens, unless absolutely necessary. In any case, my phone use is recreational.” After a month of taking corrective measures, Manju's vision was fully restored, the doctor confirmed.

Reasons for the eyesight weakness due to smartphone

Improper body posturing, use of electronic devices for long periods, not taking a break, and screen that are at a very short distance from eyes were associated with increased odds of contracting CVS. Many cases of transient smartphone-induced blindness have been reported in people using smartphones on the bed in the darkness too.

Precautions to take while using a smartphone

If you are using your smartphone for a long period then the doctor has some precautions to take into consideration. Doctor Kumar recommended avoiding looking at screens of digital devices for long, as it can cause severe and disabling vision-related problems.

Also, you should take a 20-second break, every 20 minutes, to look at something 20 feet away, when you are using a digital screen. It is known as the 20-20-20 rule.