26-year-old was diagnosed with the rare condition retinal detachment

This can cause blindness if it is not treated promptly

Scientists say cases are rising in young people – it usually affects those aged between 50 and 75 – and could be linked to excessive phone use

A Chinese man who texted his girlfriend for hours in the dark risked going blind after his retina detached from the back of his eye.

The 26-year-old suffered the condition retinal detachment after using the messaging app, WeChat, almost constantly over several days and nights.

Doctors who diagnosed the condition, which can lead to blindness, took the man into surgery for an emergency operation to fix the problem.

A 26-year-old Chinese man was rushed into emergency surgery after the retina in his left eye began to detach from the back of his eye after he spent hours texting his girlfriend in the dark. The condition can lead to blindness if a person does not receive prompt treatment. File picture

Without prompt treatment, the condition can lead to blindness in the affected eye.

The retina is light-sensitive and sends messages to the brain through the optic nerve.

The man had reported experiencing sudden flashes in his line of sight, a common sign that a retina has become detached.

The condition occurs when the thin lining at the back of a person’s eye – the retina – begins to pull away from the blood vessels that supply it with oxygen and nutrients.

The condition usually strikes between the ages of 50 and 70 – but scientists say an increasing number of young people are suffering from it – and smartphones could be to blame.

Medical Daily reported the Chinese man had been texting his girlfriend constantly throughout the day and for several hours in bed at night.

Yu Bin, an eye expert, told Want China Times this was an extreme case, but added it was possible for people to experience a retinal detachment as a result of excessive phone use.

Experts say starring at devices, such as phones and tablet computers, can put unnecessary strain on a person’s eyes.

‘Our eyes have evolved for three-dimensional viewing,’ Andrea Thau, a New York City-based optometrist, told NBC News.

‘So we wind up overfocusing as we strain to find a 3-D image on a close-up 2-D screen.’

Last year a lasdr eye surgeon warned that rates of short sightedness among young people have soared because of smartphones.

David Allamby, Founder of Focus Clinics, said there had been a 35 per cent increase in the number of people with advancing myopia (short sightedness) since the launch of smartphones in 1997.

He added that the problem could increase by 50 per cent in the next ten years.

WHAT IS RETINAL DETACHMENT?

Retinal detachment happens when the thin lining at the back of a person’s eye begins to pull away from the blood vessels that supply it with oxygen and nutrients.

Without prompt treatment, the condition can lead to blindness in the affected eye.

Many people will spot warning signs, indicating their retina is at risk of detaching before they lose their sight.

Retinal detachment is when the thin lining at the back of a person’s eye begins to pull away from the blood vessels that supply it with oxygen and nutrients

They include the appearance of floaters or dark spots in the field of vision, sudden short flashes of light in one eye and blurred or distorted vision.

Retinal detachment is most often the result of the retina becoming thinner and more brittle with age.It can also be caused by a direct injury to the eye.

It is a rare condition, one in every 10,000 people will develop a new case in any given year.

As it is associated with ageing, most people are affected between the ages of 50 and 75.

Source: NHS Choices/Daily Mail