How Harmful Is Using Your Phone in the Dark? The Right Way to Do It… (Hint: It’s Not Just Turning on the Lights)

When you finally finish a day's work, tidy up the house, and put the kids to bed, it's time for some "Me Time". Playing with my phon

When you finally finish a day’s work, tidy up the house, and put the kids to bed, it’s time for some “Me Time”. Playing with my phone before bed is a great reward for the day.

Even if there’s nothing I really want to watch, I just can’t stop scrolling through my phone. Don’t ask, it feels like going to sleep now would be “too much of a loss.” This is the only time of the day that truly belongs to me; how could I bear to sleep?

But how damaging is it to play with your phone in the dark? Can sitting and playing with the light on reduce this damage? Let’s talk about it today.

What are the dangers of using your phone in the dark?

1. It can exacerbate intermittent exotropia

When you look at your phone at night, do you often find yourself more accustomed to looking at your phone with one eye, while the other eye is closed or blocked by a pillow?This is a very typical symptom of intermittent exotropia.

Many people would say, “No, I’m just used to it,” or “I’m just a bit lazy to open both eyes to look.” NoNoNo, friends with this condition can try to really open both eyes and see if there is double vision(diplopia)or difficulty focusing clearly.

Intermittent exotropia is the most common type of strabismus, accounting for more than 40% of exotropia cases. Patients with intermittent exotropia can control the proper alignment of their eyes through binocular fusion, which makes them appear normal. However, when concentration is lost or binocular fusion is disrupted, a manifest exotropia occurs, which isthe intermittent appearance of proper alignment and exotropia, hence the term intermittent exotropia.