By Lester Haines
Published Wednesday 17th November 2004 11:17 GMT
We all know that prolonged computer use can cause RSI, back trouble, high blood pressure and steam to vent from both ears, but it appears that's the least of our worries, because we'll soon all be blind and that will be an end to it.
According to a Japanese study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, relentlessly hammering the PC may contribute to the onset of glaucoma - a nasty disease which progressively damages the optic nerve and eventually leads to blindness. The researchers - led by Dr Masayuki Tatemichi of Toho University School of Medicine - tested the eyesight of a total of 10,000 staff at four Japanese companies. They found that 522 of their guinea pigs demonstrated "visual field abnormalities" - aka "sight defects" to the man in the street.