does slr photography damage your eyes ?

busheney said:

I've had film SLRs for several years, and a 10D for a few months. I
noticed that my vision has deteriorated over time on the eye I use
on the viewfinder (being more and more short sighted, and maybe
also less accurate, though nothing on this has ever been diagnosed).

As I see several threads on photographing the sun, etc., I was
wondering whether shooting may damage your eyes without noticing
it. Sometimes, subjects may be very bright, and I tend to look
through the viewfinder for a long time. Obviously, this may be a
point where P&S or bridges with an EVF have an advantage.

Do you know any story on people not being careful enough on this ?
Any scientific evidence on impact on professionnal photographers ?
(personnally, I'm a amateur).

How do you guys do to make sure that photography does not damage
your eyes ?

Click to expand...

busheney said:

I've had film SLRs for several years, and a 10D for a few months. I
noticed that my vision has deteriorated over time on the eye I use
on the viewfinder (being more and more short sighted, and maybe
also less accurate, though nothing on this has ever been diagnosed).

How do you guys do to make sure that photography does not damage
your eyes ?

Click to expand...

busheney said:

I've had film SLRs for several years, and a 10D for a few months. I
noticed that my vision has deteriorated over time on the eye I use
on the viewfinder (being more and more short sighted, and maybe
also less accurate, though nothing on this has ever been diagnosed).

As I see several threads on photographing the sun, etc., I was
wondering whether shooting may damage your eyes without noticing
it. Sometimes, subjects may be very bright, and I tend to look
through the viewfinder for a long time. Obviously, this may be a
point where P&S or bridges with an EVF have an advantage.

Do you know any story on people not being careful enough on this ?
Any scientific evidence on impact on professionnal photographers ?
(personnally, I'm a amateur).

How do you guys do to make sure that photography does not damage
your eyes ?

Click to expand...

Juli Valley said:

It shouldn't be doing that unless you've been shooting the sun
directly a lot.

Click to expand...

Joe Hegyi said:

Well, finally a topic I can participate with some knowledge. I'm
an optometrist and hack photographer.

Looking through the viewfinder of a camera, be it digital or film,
should have no impact on your eyesight or vision. When looking
through the viewfinder you are typically focusing somewhat far away
(more than a few feet), thus not putting much strain on your
focusing system.

With regards to looking at bright lights, I would recommend the
same caution to anyone whether using a camera or not: don't go
staring directly at the sun or a welder's flash for more than a
second or two. Both are very intense light sources with the sun
typically causing retinal damage and welder's torches causing
corneal inflammation.

Best of luck.

--
Joe Hegyi
Crown Point, IN

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Joe Hegyi said:

With regards to looking at bright lights, I would recommend the
same caution to anyone whether using a camera or not: don't go
staring directly at the sun or a welder's flash for more than a
second or two. Both are very intense light sources with the sun
typically causing retinal damage and welder's torches causing
corneal inflammation.

Click to expand...

busheney said:

I've had film SLRs for several years, and a 10D for a few months. I
noticed that my vision has deteriorated over time on the eye I use
on the viewfinder (being more and more short sighted, and maybe
also less accurate, though nothing on this has ever been diagnosed).

As I see several threads on photographing the sun, etc., I was
wondering whether shooting may damage your eyes without noticing
it. Sometimes, subjects may be very bright, and I tend to look
through the viewfinder for a long time. Obviously, this may be a
point where P&S or bridges with an EVF have an advantage.

Do you know any story on people not being careful enough on this ?
Any scientific evidence on impact on professionnal photographers ?
(personnally, I'm a amateur).

How do you guys do to make sure that photography does not damage
your eyes ?

Click to expand...

MikaelR said:

Joe Hegyi said:

With regards to looking at bright lights, I would recommend the
same caution to anyone whether using a camera or not: don't go
staring directly at the sun or a welder's flash for more than a
second or two. Both are very intense light sources with the sun
typically causing retinal damage and welder's torches causing
corneal inflammation.

Click to expand...

As I like to take photos of sunsets quite a lot, I would like know
more of possible long term effects.

Whenever I take sunset pictures, I try to look only very briefly
to sun. And I use only wide angel or normal lenses.

But with digital cameras (nowdays with 10D) it is very easy to take
a lot photos... So could the cumulative effect cause some damage
that is not noticeable immediately? E.g. 30 photos in one evening,
thousands in tens of years....

Here is one of my favourites (with G2, so here was no risk to my
eyes



BR,
Mikael

------
http://www.mr-photography.com/

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alonprint said:

busheney said:

I've had film SLRs for several years, and a 10D for a few months. I
noticed that my vision has deteriorated over time on the eye I use
on the viewfinder (being more and more short sighted, and maybe
also less accurate, though nothing on this has ever been diagnosed).

As I see several threads on photographing the sun, etc., I was
wondering whether shooting may damage your eyes without noticing
it. Sometimes, subjects may be very bright, and I tend to look
through the viewfinder for a long time. Obviously, this may be a
point where P&S or bridges with an EVF have an advantage.

Do you know any story on people not being careful enough on this ?
Any scientific evidence on impact on professionnal photographers ?
(personnally, I'm a amateur).

How do you guys do to make sure that photography does not damage
your eyes ?

Click to expand...

--
Armo_WarrioR

Click to expand...

sdmike said:

I think all those 'other' people composing shots on P&S 1-inch
screens from arms length are probably straining their eyes more...

Click to expand...

Joe Hegyi said:

Shooting into the sun makes you more myopic? In my years of
graduate school and in clinical practice, I have never seen thought
nor read any studies that indicate that.

Joe Hegyi
Crown Point, IN

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Paul van der Hoven said:

If your viewfinder is adjusted correctly you should really feel
quite comfortable looking through it and it should not affect your
eyesight.

Keep both eyes open, look at a distant object and then move the
camera in front of your eye, look at the same object for a moment
and move the camera away. Keep doing that repeatedly until it is
comfortable to look either through the viewfinder or straight at
the object.
Oh yes if you have a zoom lens, set it at about 35mm.

Voila! no more eyestrain.

I know the above is obvious but have you done it?

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