# Did sitting too close to the TV really hurt our eyes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-really-hurt-our-eyes/658118 "2013-05-12T01:36:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![weef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d6d6ee/32.png) [@weef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/weef)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-really-hurt-our-eyes/658118/1 "2013-05-12T01:36:41Z")
I was a kid in the 1960’s and was always told to not sit too close to the TV because it would hurt my eyes and I would need glasses. I tried not to sit too close but ended up wearing glasses anyway. I doubt this was due to the TV except now that I think about it neither parent wears glasses. Was there a good reason in the early days of TV to keep a good distance between the viewer and the TV set or was this just some old wive’s tale? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-really-hurt-our-eyes/658118/2 "2013-05-12T01:47:19Z")
Some soon-recalled TVs in the 60s produced unhealthy amounts of radiation, and sitting real near risks causing eyestrain, but no permanent eyesight damage. A short [article](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-talk-tv-eyesight) I just found on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-really-hurt-our-eyes/658118/3 "2013-05-12T01:50:49Z")
A thread about the[radiation issue](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=624217). ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-really-hurt-our-eyes/658118/4 "2013-05-12T03:07:50Z")
I read in a 1968 issue of TV Guide that the government planned to investigate whether excess X-Rays produced by color TVs could damage eyesight. The existing research indicated it did not, but that some pediatricians still recommended keeping kids a couple of feet away from a color screen. Doubt any real evidence was found, but does explain people’s worries. ---
**Author:** ![Bert\_Nobbins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@Bert\_Nobbins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bert_Nobbins)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-really-hurt-our-eyes/658118/5 "2013-05-14T00:43:26Z")
I recall reading about this problem at the time. IIRC, the excess X-rays were not generated by the CRT, as you might expect, but by the EHT rectifier valve. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-really-hurt-our-eyes/658118/6 "2013-05-14T07:32:08Z")
Cecil Adams on [Will sitting too close to the TV, reading with bad light, etc., ruin your eyes?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1107/will-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-reading-with-bad-light-etc-ruin-your-eyes)