Watching television in the dark is harmful to human eyes
Evidence indicates that viewing bright electronic screens in dark environments increases visual fatigue and causes strain, supporting the claim that watching television in the dark is harmful to the eyes.
The retrieved literature specifically examines screen use in dark environments. Multiple studies (such as [1] and [4]) demonstrate that high screen brightness combined with dark ambient lighting significantly increases visual fatigue, tear film instability, and eye strain. While some papers analyze screen modes like dark mode or blue-light blocking, the direct experimental evidence regarding bright screens in dark rooms strongly supports the premise that watching television (or screens) in the dark is harmful to visual comfort and eye health.
Peiyuan Tian, Guanghua Xu, Chengcheng Han, Xiaowei Zheng, Kai Zhang, Chenghang Du, Fan Wei, Sicong Zhang. Effects of Paradigm Color and Screen Brightness on Visual Fatigue in Light Environment of Night Based on Eye Tracker and EEG Acquisition Equipment. 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/s22114082
Paper 1 demonstrates that using screens in dark environments with high brightness exacerbates visual fatigue.
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Meng Lin, Xin Zheng, Charong He, Meng Li, Fan Lu, Liang Hu. Effects of ambient illuminance and mobile phone screen brightness on tear film stability, visual fatigue, and blink patterns during reading.. 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2025.102515
Paper 4 finds that reading on screens in a dark environment with a bright screen leads to significant tear film instability and visual fatigue.
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