We all love the glamor of tech devices and the ease with which they have made things work out for us. We, however, need to be cautious of several shortcomings associated with them.
Lightning Risk
Using your mobile during a downpour may see you sustain a lightning strike. A case was observed in London of a 15-year-old girl who was hit by lightning while using her phone in a large park. She fell into cardiac arrest. She had to be resuscitated. The girl additionally lost hearing on the side the ear that the phone was placed. This was precipitated by damage to her eardrum. The explanation here is that, when lightning strikes a person holding a metallic object against the skin, it disrupts the tendency of electric current to flow over the skin without penetrating the body owing to the high electrical resistance of human skin.
Palmar Hidradenitis
This is a new skin disorder that has been identified and is associated with holding a PlayStation too tightly for a long time. It is characterized by painful lesions on the palms and nowhere else on her body.
“The tight, incessant hand-grips, coupled with repetitive pushing of the buttons on the devices causes minor and continuous trauma to the gamer’s palms surfaces“ says a report by Vincent Piguet and colleagues in the British Journal of Dermatology 2009.
Tinnitus
This is a condition characterized by a persistent ringing in the ear. This has been noted among people who use their cellphones for long periods of time. While not everyone develops it, there are chances of contacting it.
According to a research carried out and published in the journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 2010, 100 people suffering from chronic tinnitus and 100 devoid of the condition, were asked about their cellphone use. It was found that those who used cellphones passionately and for a period of more than four years had a twofold risk of developing tinnitus.
Seizures
Lengthy TV watching has been associated with exacerbation or development of seizures. A considerable percentage of people will have episodes of seizures or as they are commonly referred to as, blackouts when watching some particular light patterns on the television or in video games.
Usually, TV images have seizure-triggering visual patterns which can also occur in places exclusive of games and TV. Such places may include the visual alarming system of emergency automobiles as well as strobe lighting in clubs. These are, however, becoming less common.
Visual Problems
This is common with folks who use computers or even laptops for over two hours each day. It is characterized by a group of eye problems resulting from excessive computer use. The common progression of such episodes starts with eye-strain, which is then followed by headaches, hazy vision and dry eyes. In most individuals, these symptoms tend to be temporary. They, however, can be quite disturbing, especially if the occurrences are frequent.
Knowing this will help you realize what to expect in order to exercise necessary caution when using these devices.
