Eyes Not All Right for Workers

People spend 128,780 hours during their working life in front of a TV or computer screen, a survey claims. The average couch potato clocks up 30.5 hours a week watching TV and workaholics 35 hours at their VDUs. But one in ten Britons has never visited an optician, despite up to 90 per cent of computer users suffering 'screen fatigue' - sore, itchy, irritated eyes or temporary blurred vision. The Eyecare Trust said: "It's vital that computer users visit their optometrists for regular eye examinations."

PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: Of course, a regular visit to an optometrist will usually end up with a prescription for glasses, which prevent the eyes adjusting themselves naturally. Remember, over time, your vision adjusts to what you use it for the most. This is not a disease! However, moderation in all things. As an author, my eyesight tends to be short-sighted at the end of a writing project but returns to normality after a few months once I start using it on longer-distance objects.

The 10-Year-Olds High on Ecstasy

Children as young as 10 are downing 50p ecstasy tablets, it emerged yesterday. The youngest reported case was of an eight-year-old trying the killer drug. Some children are said to be bingeing on the pills as prices hit rock-bottom. Drugs charity Lifeline said ecstasy use was at an all-time high, with more than half of youngsters excluded from school having taken the drug. Lifeline's Michael Linnell said: "Although the average age is 14, we are seeing children starting at ten or 12."
Metro, 12th September 2005