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You may have heard someone tell you you'll "go square-eyed" which means you're watching too much TV. And while the phrase may not be true, we all know spending hours in front of a screen can indeed affect your eyes.

In fact, if you sit too close to the TV, you could strain them. According to Very Well Health, if you sit in the wrong place, you could have a number of symptoms from a headache to sore and irritated eyes. You may also find that your eyes are dry, watery, feel heavy and tired - and you may even have trouble focusing.

In addition to these signs that your TV needs moved, you may also experience blurred vision and muscle spasms of the eyelid or eye. So, how far from the TV should you sit to avoid these horrible feelings?

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According to consumer experts from Which?, many people probably have their TV either too close or too far away from where they sit. To find the optimum viewing distance, they asked 1,200 people of different ages and genders to watch TV and looked at a number of factors.

• 32-inch TV - seven feet/two metres
• 40 to 43-inch TV - eight feet/2.5 metres
• 48 to 50-inch TV - nine to 10 feet/2.7 to three metres
• 55-inch TVs - 11 to 12 feet/3.4 to 3.7 metres
• 65-inch TVs - 13 feet/four metres

The experts ask people to measure the distance from your seat to your TV screen. It’s best to measure from the back cushion rather than the edge of the seat.

If you’re unsure what size of TV you have, measure diagonally across the screen from one corner to the opposite corner and don't include the bezels. Once you have these measurements, you can determine whether you’re sitting in the ideal viewing zone. If you’re only a few inches off, try adjusting your TV’s position slightly forward or backwards.

Other causes of eye pain Symptoms Possible cause

Painful and watering eye, blurred vision, feeling like there's something in your eye	Something in your eye, like dirt or an insect, or a scratch on the surface of your eye
Pain with a gritty or burning feeling, sticky eyes	Conjunctivitis
Sore, blurry or watery eyes	Dry eyes
Sharp, burning or piercing pain around the eye	Cluster headache
Pain, red eyes, blurred vision, sensitivity to light	Infection, such as an infection caused by wearing contact lenses or herpes simplex eye infection
Tenderness around the eyes, vision changes	Glaucoma
Pain that's worse when reading, watering eyes, vision changes	Uveitis, a rare condition that causes inflammation inside part of your eye
Pain, vision problems, changes in how you see colour	Neuromyelitis optica, a rare condition that affects the nerves in your eyes

Worried about your eyes?

If you are worried about your eyes and don't think it's anything to do with screen time, the positioning of your TV and none of the above, the NHS has listed some advice on their website.

You should ask for an urgent GP or optician appointment, or get help from NHS 111 if you have eye pain and:

• the pain is severe
• sensitivity to light
• changes to your vision, like blurring, how you see colour or loss of vision
• your eye is very red (1 or both eyes)

You can call 111 or get help from 111 online. Call 111 if you need help for a child under 5.

You should call 999 or go straight to A&E if:

• your eye symptoms start suddenly
• you have eye pain that keeps you awake at night
• you wear contact lenses and have eye pain and vision loss
• you have a red eye, severe headache and feel sick
• you have severe pain or loss of vision and had eye surgery or treatment in the last 4 weeks
• you cannot see (loss of vision)
• you have injured or pierced your eye
• something is stuck in your eye (like a piece of glass or grit)

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