As if we weren't
already worried enough about our cellphone causing Blackberry thumb, certain indecisiveness,
and, of course, brain cancer, the WSJ is now
reporting that according to some leading opticians, portables, especially with small screens and smaller fonts, could
be causing irreversible eye strain and damage to our vision. Apparently the action of focusing for long periods of time
on small spacial areas held relatively closely to the body -- especially displays with poor contrast ratios, and bad
glare -- tends to overwork the eye's ciliary muscles, and might be causing deteriorated vision in the same young group
of patients now visiting doctors for other technologically related ailments, like portable audio related hearing loss -- a group far too young
to be coming in for their annual eyes, ears, and artificial hip-bone checkup.[Via TechDirt]