SAN DIEGO -- When it comes to buying a plasma or LCD television, some say bigger is better. But NBC 7/39's Consumer Bob Hansen talked to health experts who suggest you think smaller, for the sake of your eyes.

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Salesmen said most people come in asking for the biggest screen available. But buying too big and sitting too close is dangerous, said Dr. David Granet.

The optimum distance you want between you and your big screen is three or four feet.

Sony's Phil Abram said the rule of thumb is to take the screen size and sit three times that distance away.

For a 37-inch TV, it is recommended a person sit nine feet away.

Best Buy's Drew Steinmetz said sitting too close defeats the purpose of the fancy plasma and LCD screens. He says you should literally measure off the distance from you and your TV screen.

"If you're sitting too close, you're going to see the imperfections. You're going to see the pixels because the screen is so big, you're going see all those little imperfections," Steinmetz said.

Also one more tip: When you sit down, make sure your eye level is near the middle of the screen.

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