Gabriel Garza
Even though many universities and publishing companies are implementing e-textbooks in replace of normal textbooks due to its cost and environmental benefits, there are researches that prove that the excess of visual contact on computers can cause vision problems.
Even though many universities and publishing companies are implementing e-textbooks in replace of normal textbooks due to its cost and environmental benefits, there are researches that prove that the excess of visual contact on computers can cause vision problems.
An article in The Chronicle of Higher Education states that this could be the year of the e-textbooks due to its rise of electronic publications. They currently held only 3% of the market yet, but there are speculations that this could increase because of the students growing demand on them. Besides reading them on their laptops or desktops, students may download them to their I-Pods or to new devices such as the Sony Reader e-book. One of the benefits of this new feature is that it is a lower-cost option. E-textbooks can get as low as half of the price as normal textbooks. As well, as the student Kate Gaertner suggests in the article, universities should push for paperless textbooks as part of its effort to reduce its environmental impact.
These are all good ideas and benefits for Higher Education readings, but there also exist negative effects. An article from the Southern California College of Optometry mentions the existence of a Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). “The American Optometric Association defines CVS as that ‘complex of eye and vision problems related to near work which are experience during or related to computer use’. The symptoms can vary but mostly include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision (distance and/or near), dry and irritated eyes, slow refocusing, neck and/or backache, light sensitivity, double vision and color distortion.” The more e-textbooks the students read the more possibilities of CVS. We live in a world were almost everything is electronically, and people are submerged in the technological world. Reading (from normal books and textbooks) is a way to apart us slightly from this world that sometimes is harmful. University students should be aware of the negative effects of this possible transition.
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