Why shouldn’t we watch television in a darkened room?

Watching television has become a common thing in most homes but there are several guidelines one must follow while doing so. Some people darken the room by closing the doors and windows and switching off the lights. They wrongly believe that the darkened room will provide them a better picture clarity. The human eye functions the best and is able to see details most clearly in white light. Therefore, a dim light background is essential while watching television. Of course, the light should not fall directly on the television screen, because some of the rays would then get reflected and spoil the picture. From the health point of view there are two main disadvantages of watching television in a darkened room. First, the intense glare of television light is not only unpleasant to the eyes but it also gets reflected internally in the eye. This may affect the retina. Secondly, the flicker on the television screen becomes more prominent in a darkened room and causes eye fatigue. Therefore, it is not advisable to watch television in a dark room.