What Is The Best Viewing Distance To Watch A TV From?

Question: What Is The Best Viewing Distance To Watch A TV From?

When I was a kid my Mom told me that I'd go blind for sitting too close to the TV.

(Jump ahead 25 years)

I'm beginning to wonder what effect the TV will have on my eyes because of the increasing sizes of TVs these days. It used to be that a 19" TV was a good size TV for the entire family. Now, it seems that anything under 30" is just too small. Am I going to go blind because I watch a 42" TV from about 12' away? Must I downsize to save my eyes? Or, is this just an old wives tale?

Answer: There is suggested evidence that a person can damage their vision by watching television. However, not in the sense of sitting too close. The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) says that proper lighting is the most important aspect in healthy TV watching.

According to the CAO, the negatives associated with TV watching are eye strain and fatigue. In fact, the CAO says that watching TV in a well-lit room has less strain than sewing or reading a book. Still, sitting too close can cause unnecessary strain and fatigue. Another thing to consider is that children who sit close could be a red flag that they might need to get their vision checked.

HEALTHY LIGHTING TIPS

Lighting in the TV room is very important. Many people like the room to be bright while others like watching TV in the dark. The CAO says that it is equally as dangerous to watch television in a bright as well as a dark room. They suggest watching television under normal daily lighting conditions.

I presume the reasoning behind this theory is that glare on a television screen from a bright light can cause unnecessary strain because the screen will be washed out. The human eye will naturally squint to try to cut through the glare. As for a dark room, the pupil is wide open, which means it will allows for more light to pass through so it can process an image. The television will be so bright that the eye won't have any defense against the light and could be damaged. Think of a dilated eye in the bright sun.

For what its worth, the CAO also says that a person shouldn't watch TV with sunglasses on.

RECOMMENDED VIEWING DISTANCE

The CAO recommends that a person watch TV from a distance of 5x the width of the picture.

I put this theory to the test. The width of the picture literally means the width of the viewing screen on the television. Do not get this confused with the diagonal screen size. For example, a 42" TV screen is 42-inches diagonally from the bottom-left to the upper-right corners, but only about 3 feet wide at the base of the screen. This means that a person should watch TV on a 42" television from a distance of 15 feet.

This distance seems like a long way. It isn't. Considering a standard 4:3 19" TV is only 16" wide at the base, a viewing distance of about 6-7' is appropriate and not out of the ordinary.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I have seen some recommended viewing distance charts on Web sites of some electronics retailers. When considering these charts, please keep in mind that they are created by people who sell televisions, not people that make a living studying the human eye.

To read more on eye strain and fatigue, please click to visit the Canadian Association of Optometrists Web site.