Coloring books for adults have seemingly become a new fad for the nation’s white-collar workers to destress, but doctors warn that overuse of the books might cause physical problems and suggest limiting their use.
The coloring books focus on geometrical and floral patterns, as well as figures for coloring, with increasing claims that the process provides emotional release and calming of the mind, achieving the effects of art therapy.
Hsinchu Cathay General Hospital department of ophthalmology director Chen Ying-shan (陳瑩山) said that the department recently saw a patient who has used the method 20 minutes at a time three times a day for two weeks before coming to the hospital complaining of sore and puffy eyes with accompanying sensations of pain and numbness.
The patient has greater than minus-8 diopters in both eyes and has developed minor symptoms of presbyopia, the department said.
“The coloring books require users to focus on detail and necessitate close scrutiny,” Chen said.
“Long-term close scrutiny can cause the eye muscles to become overly taut and might cause vision issues and discomfort,” Chen said, adding, however, that after using ciliary muscle relaxant for a month the patient has fully recovered.
Chen suggests a 33cm distance from coloring books and a time limit of 20 minutes per day with at least a 30-minute break after coloring, or coloring before going to sleep, as the calming effect might aid sleep quality.
He also said that those electing to use coloring books should be sure to eat lots of green vegetables for their lutein content, which has a direct relationship to eye health.
Cheng Hsin Hospital doctor Yuan Wei (袁瑋) said that coloring focuses the attention of the drawer on the image to be colored, adding that it might decrease stress and calm the nerves.
However, Yuan said that coloring, like sports or carving, only offers temporary relief and if people have experienced anxiety or depression for more than a month, they should seek professional help.
According to books.com.tw, coloring books for adults accounted for half of the top 10 titles on their best-sellers list last week.
The Chinese version of Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford’s coloring book Secret Garden has been No. 1 on the online bookstore’s Chinese-language best-sellers list for four weeks.
Last week, five of the 10 best-selling titles on the list were coloring books for adults. A copy of Secret Garden was being sold every 30 seconds on the online bookstore last week and more than 1,000 pre-orders for Basford’s coloring book Enchanted Forest were placed within three hours of its release this month.
Books.com.tw executives said that 90 percent of coloring book purchases were made by women from 27 to 44 years of age.
An office worker surnamed Lin said she heard about the coloring books from friends and wants to try it because she thinks coloring can help to relieve work pressure.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
RSS