Can Too Much Mobile Gaming Burst Blood Vessels in Your Eyes?

According to a warning that is currently circulating via Facebook, playing mobile phone games for too long can cause the blood vessels in your eyes to burst.

The post features a close-up photograph of a person with severely bloodshot eyes and suggests that the victim sustained the eye injuries after playing the popular game Mobile Legends.

However, the information in the message remains unsubstantiated. There is no evidence to support the claim that the depicted eye injury was caused by too much gaming.

The injury appears to be a subconjunctival hemorrhage. This condition can have a number of causes, including violent coughing or sneezing, vomiting, or straining. However, there are no credible medical reports that suggest that the condition can be caused by simply playing a video game for a prolonged period.

The person in the photograph is fitted with a nasal cannula which is a device used to deliver supplemental oxygen or increased airflow to a patient who needs respiratory help. Therefore, it may well be that the pictured person’s subconjunctival hemorrhage was related to this respiratory distress.

It should be noted that staring at a device screen for prolonged periods can cause a condition called Computer Vision Syndrome. The condition can cause headaches, eye strain, blurred vision, dry eyes, and other symptoms. However, subconjunctival hemorrhage or burst blood vessels in the eyes are not identified as a symptom of Computer Vision Syndrome.

It is probably wise to take regular breaks to rest your eyes when playing mobile or computer games or engaging in any activity that involves staring at a screen for prolonged periods.

However, passing on spurious health warnings such as this will not help anybody.