This study examines how distance from and time spent watching TV affects vision sharpness in viewers of different ages. Twenty-seven volunteers between ages 8-32 with normal vision are randomly assigned to watch TV from distances of 5, 10, or 15 feet for 1, 2, or 3 hours. Their vision is tested before and after to compare any changes, with results analyzed based on age group, distance, and time. The experimental design aims to control variables and replicate conditions, though ethical concerns are noted about requiring prolonged TV viewing.
1. Sitting Too Close to the
TV Will Ruin your Eyes
By: William Carr and Christopher Frary
2. Research Question
● Does sitting too close while
watching television cause
the viewer’s eyes to
become ruined?
3. Experimental Units/Variables
● Experimental Units: The eyes of the
viewers
● Explanatory Variable: Distance away
from TV and the Amount of time viewing
the television (Quantitative)
● Response Variable: Sharpness of the
viewers vision (Quantitative)
4. Experimental Design
● Acquire male and female volunteers
between the ages of 8 and 32 with
20/20 vision.
● Using a random number generator,
find one adult-aged person(22-32),
one teenager-aged person(14-21),
and one child-aged person(8-13).
5. Treatment Factor Levels
● Distance From TV
● How long viewer is watching
Time/Distance 5 ft 10 ft 15 ft
1 hr 18/12/28 19/31/10 27/21/12 Ages
2hrs 17/31/26 24/17/10 25/9/14 Ages
3hrs 11/22/31 15/8/31 21/17/28 Ages
6.
7. Experimental Tree Design
Before the experiment, we examine their eyes for
sharpness. The 27 volunteers are randomly assigned by
age groups. Of the 27 volunteers, 9 are children, 9 are
teenagers, and 9 are adults. These three groups are
randomly assigned to the 9 groups, whether these differ by
time, distance, or both. After, the results are compared
between the three different age groups in their respective
distances and times. Then, the overall sharpness is
compared. This means the sharpness of all 27 are
compared with their previous scores, while keeping in mind
their distances and times.
9. Experimental Design Principles
● Control-The control is the units’ previous scores of
20/20 vision before the experiment was conducted.
● Randomization-Randomization is used to assort the
three age groups into their respective categories of
time and distance.
● Replication-It is used by repeating the process
thoroughly between each age group and time frame,
including exact distance and exact time frame.
10. Is Blinding Used?
Blinding is not used or necessary in this
experiment because it is obvious to know a
relative distance that you are from the
television and how long you are in front of
it.
11. Blocking
Blocking is used to block by age because TV
may have a different effect on younger
eyes compared to older eyes, and it is
easily compared between age groups. Each
age group is represented in each distance
and time group.
12. Concerns
This experiment is unethical because we
are forcing people to watch TV for up to 3
hours straight, possibly causing damage to
volunteers’ eyes. Also, the subject could
move from the position given or become
disinterested in the show and lay down and
fall asleep.
13. Statistical Analysis Techniques
Before setting up the experiment, we
calculated the sharpness of our units’ eyes.
Then, after going through the experiment,
we calculated the sharpness of the units’
eyes and compared the two for differences.
14. Conclusion
Even if the data supports that sitting too
close to the television causes vision to
become impaired, it does not mean that
the correlation implies direct causation.
