Children Health Guide: All About Excessive Screen Time and Eye Problems in Kids

With children spending more time on digital devices than ever before, eye health concerns are on the rise. This guide explores how excessive screen time affects kids’ vision and what parents can do to protect it.

The past decade has seen doctors establishing worrying trends in the myopic growth patterns of children. Excessive screen time has been blamed as one of the major reasons behind skyrocketing numbers of cases presenting with myopia at a very tender age. Digital devices today are the mainstay for learning and entertainment, leaving children under the screen glare for many hours. The situation was aggravated during the COVID period, coinciding with a massive rise in cases of myopia that set in early.

All About Excessive Screen Time and Eye Problems in Kids:

Influence of Digital Devices on the Young Eye

Long hours of screen use brought major stress on the eye. The constant staring on the screen interferes with the blink reflex and causes dryness due to reduced lubrication. At the same time, the muscle in the eye responsible for focusing is overworked. Children often complain of headaches, blurred vision, burning sensations, or heaviness in the eyes.

Doctors warn that these are not just passing problems. Prolonged exposure to digital devices in the near vision zone is proving to be a growing epidemic in childhood myopia. Shockingly, cases of ophthalmological consultations among 5–6-year-olds have been diagnosed. An early onset of myopia raises concerns for other long-term major risks, such as retinal degeneration, detachment, or glaucoma.

Eye Rubbing: A Subtle Warning

One common concern that parents raise is that their child is always rubbing his eyes. A habit just a decade before considered inconsequential, today is considered one of the top signs of eye strain resulting from digital devices. Continuously rubbing can damage the cornea with minute scratches, increasing irritation and the chance of infections. When combined with prolonged near focus, this habit increases the stress on the eyes, in turn promoting the elongation of the eyeball, a structural cause for myopia.

Can Parents Really Stop All Screens?

Hoping for an outright ban of screens is a suggestion that even the experts say is untenable. Rather, moderation is the watchword:

Children should not be exposed to screens at all under the age of 2 years.

For older children, it is advised to have a maximum of 20 minutes of screen time followed by a break.

Encourage the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Travel Outdoors: The Natural Guard

Being outdoors has demonstrably been the most effective single protective factor for myopia development. Natural light and distant objects break the strain of prolonged near vision activities. Outdoor play, sports, and other analogue hobbies can provide safety that enhances children's vision.

Parents as Role Models

Children imitate their parents. Thus, it becomes very important for the parents to display proper screen habits and promote a balanced routine that comprises screen time and outdoor activities. Starting small now would benefit practitioners in fading away from future sight-threatening matters.

Digital devices do offer their advantages; however, they come with myriad challenges to children's eyes. A solution to this scenario would be balance in screen time, outdoor playtime, and eye-friendly habits. By incorporating these into their routine, parents could save their children from having further complications related to early myopia.

This article is for informational purpose by:

Dr. Bhavya Reddy, Consultant – Ophthalmology, Aster Whitefield

Dr. Rajesh Prabu, Paediatric Ophthalmologist, Sankara Eye Hospital, Coimbatore