According to The Vision Council, 4 out of 5 Americans stare at their smart phones at least two hours a day and it is taking its toll on their eyes.

Dr. Michael Wong, an ophthalmologist at The Princeton Eye Group, says you may not notice the strain right away but your eyes will, eventually.

"It is just harder to read anything that is emitted light beams as opposed to printed materials in the first place," he said. "Our eyes are at rest when we are looking at 20 feet and we work minimally to see about one yard. But we have to work maximum to see closer because you are using a muscle to change the shape of the lens in the eye."

"That, combined with the fact that you are indoors all of the time, somehow increases myopia and it is an epidemic around the whole world."

Nearsightedness, or myopia, is the most common refractive error of the eye, and it has become more prevalent in recent years.

Wong says when it comes to kids and this artificial emitted light, he would rather see them outdoors and interacting with others, so their contact with smartphones should be limited.

"For adults, the thing to do is just take a break every once in awhile."

He says this is especially important for adults 40 and over.

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor on New Jersey 101.5

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