Pregnant Taiwanese woman temporarily blinded from playing Pokémon Go

A pregnant Taiwanese woman was recently hospitalized after losing vision in her right eye, partly due to her addiction to playing Pokémon Go.

Spending too much time playing Pokémon Go on mobile phones has affected many people's eyesight. Photo: Shanghaiist

According to Shanghaiist, the 31-year-old woman, from New Taipei City, was diagnosed with macular degeneration. Her condition worsened due to her spending too much time playing Pokémon Go.

Dr. Chen Yu-an said another patient of his had also developed vision problems due to his addiction to mobile games. In the three weeks since Pokémon Go was released in Taiwan, his patient numbers have increased by 20%.

Doctors warn that prolonged use of electronic devices can have a negative impact on the eyes, especially for those with pre-existing vision problems. Earlier this year, a woman in Nanjing, China, nearly went blind after watching a Korean drama for 18 hours straight.

People run through the streets of Taipei chasing a virtual animal. Photo:Shanghaiist

The Pokémon Go craze in Taiwan is not only damaging players’ eyes but also causing serious traffic jams. Last week, a video emerged online showing a frenzied crowd of people rushing through the streets of Taipei chasing a virtual beast.

Taiwan's traffic police force has been beefed up and fined many people for dangerous behavior while playing the game. Just two days after the game was released on the island, 349 people were fined for playing Pokemon Go while driving.

According to a survey by EZchoice, one in three Taiwanese people play Pokémon. These 7.9 million gamers spend an average of 114 minutes a day playing.

According to VNE