Warning: Too Much TV

May Be Dangerous To Your Health

Studies indicate watching too much television and surfing the Web for prolonged hours can have a negative effect on mental and physical health. Weight gain, stress disorders and eye problems are associated with overindulging in either activity.

The National Mental Health Association of Georgia advises that watching too much news or combing the Internet for reports of terrorist attacks, bio-chemical warfare, job layoffs and war is not conducive to a person's mental and physical well-being.

Nielsen Media Research shows TV news shows were top ranked following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Jupiter Media Metrix reports more than 50 million people visited Web news sites that day, up 11 percent from August 2000.

Nationwide, prescriptions for antidepressants increased 16 percent in the last two weeks of September 2001 over the same period the previous year. Sales of eye care products designed to soothe red, dry or otherwise irritated eyes have also gone up.

Antidepressants and flickering computer and television screens can cause dry eyes, said Dr. Yvonne Johnson, director of medical affairs for Novartis Ophthalmics, which sells eye treatment products. Dry eye symptoms include redness, burning, itching, scratchiness, tearing, sensitivity to light and/or mucus secretion.