Excess screen time making kids prone to myopia

Without any proactive measures, projections indicate that in two decades, 48 per cent of children in urban India will have myopia, a major looming public health crisis

Hyderabad: Exposure to excessive and unregulated screen time is making children vulnerable to myopia (nearsightedness) — a type of refractive error — researchers from LV Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) said on Thursday.

Without any proactive measures, projections indicate that in two decades, 48 per cent of children in urban India will have myopia, a major looming public health crisis. Factors such as excessive screen time and insufficient outdoor activities predispose children to myopia.

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The impact of long exposure to screen time has a profound impact on children as they adapt to their blurred vision by adjusting close-range activities and avoid tasks requiring sharp focus, which impacts their academics, researchers said.

Dr Rohan Nalawade, paediatric ophthalmologist, LVPEI, said: “Reading or watching television at a close distance, experiencing difficulty in seeing the blackboard clearly, frequent headaches and eyestrain, and squeezing or squinting of the eyes are signs of refractive errors.”

Regulating the amount of time spent by children in front of television and other screens will play a vital role in the reduction of myopia. “Undiagnosed and untreated refractive errors can lead to delayed milestones in children and negatively impact their academic performance,” says Dr Ramesh Kekunnaya, head of the Child Sight Institute, LVPEI.