How smartphones can impact your eyesight and overall health

We've all started to accept it we can't be without our smartphones and even if we can put them down our teens sure can't.

FOX 29's Joyce Evans explains why that could start to impact their eyesight and overall health.

If only these teenagers were talking about how much they pay attention to their homework. But we all know, they're talking about their phones. They start, end and spend most of the rest of their days connected.

"We're all living behind a screen, whether it's a desktop, a laptop, or smart device. That's really where you're finding concentrations of blue light every single day," Doug Zarkin from Pearle Vision told FOX 29.

And it's that blue light that can mess with our eyes and bodies in general. We went to our sponsor, Pearle Vision for insight as to why.

"That concentration causes you to squint, it affects the retina. It also gives you things like headaches," Zarkin said.

Especially so for teens whose eyes are so often just inches away from their smartphone screens.

"Most people and especially children are living this close to a smart device," Zarkin explained. "It's not only the intensity of the blue light, the concentration of the blue light, but the distance from the source of your eyes to the blue light."

Our Dr. Mike Cirigliano says more than eye strain blue light messes with a person's circadian rhythm. That means you can kiss a good night's sleep goodbye.

"Long term, sleep deprivation can lead to emotional problems, health problems. It can lead to obesity," he explained.

So what should you do?

"Want your kids to do better in school? Less depression, less anxiety and less behavioral problems keep those screens out of the bedroom. The bedroom is a place for sleep," Dr. Cirigliano said.

Zarkin says it's also important to get your kids' eyes checked before they get their first smartphone.

"Beginning at age 5, it's important that they get an annual eye exam. If you think about it, kids don't really know what seeing clearly is."