Most kids, during their summer vacations, remain at home most of the time and more often are glued to gadgets with screens. Doctors are now suggesting that young people are suffering from vision-related and other health problems due to this considerable increase in screen time.
Children’s screen time is often controlled by school timetables and other activities throughout the academic year. But in comes the holidays, and the problem arose in its acute form: the parents are unable to regulate their children’s use of electronic devices.
Khalid Almazeedi Alter a 10-year-old boy in fifth grade of a private school in Sharjah – complained of headache and difficulty in sleep at the start of vacation. Given that Akhlaq’s parents are employed in Dubai, Akhlaq stays home with his elder brother and sister. There are not many things that the children can do at home. His elder brother is studying for some competitive exams and his sister also have many household works to do. Akhlaq is either laying idle watching television or he is almost always engrossed in cartoons through his tablet, mom Ameera added.
“He wakes up and uses his tablet till morning, and since we did not know the reason behind this behavior, he even started having sleeping disorders and constant headaches, until the doctor asked in his questioning about his daily routine, and once we noted that concentrated screen time is something we never considered to reduce,” Ameera said this before concluding that reduction of screen time is the best way to moderate his daily routine.
Spectacles advised
Likewise, in the case of Ali, a 12-year-old Iraqi resident, the child was struggling to experience a continuous headache and failure to visualize the smart board at school. His parents sought medical attention at Thumbay University Hospital and a history of long hours on a continuous basis interacting on video games before developing the headache was elicited in him.
Examinations that were done at the hospital showed that the patient had digital eye strain and also had refractive error. A dilated cycloplegic refraction was conducted, and he was diagnosed to have Myopia, and recommended to use glasses while warning on spending too much time on screens without taking breaks. Additionally, he was encouraged to engage in more outdoor activities.
Digital eye strain
According to the specialist in ophthalmology at Burjeel Day Surgery Centre, Al Shahama Deerfields Mall, Dr Ahmed Mamdouh Elashtokhy common signs of Digi-Eye Strain are; The following are; eye Strain and discomforts, tiredness, blurred vision and dry/itch eyes, headaches, neck/shoulder aches, sensitive to light and difficulty in accomplishing the focal point in near and distance
Dr Gayathri Mohan, the specialist practising at the centre for ophthalmology in Thumbay University Hospital, noted that students who spend more than forty hours a week watching television, playing video game or using computer are a rising diverse problem touching upon all spheres of a child’s development.
“Other than negative impacts on the eye which comprises of digital eye strain and myopia, prolonged screen exposure affects cognition, social skills, language and mental health”, she said.
Social skills
Social skills such as communication, one’s ability to empathize and even building interpersonal relationships cannot be developed adequately due to lack of face-to-face communication.
“Motor skills as well as linguistic skills can be impacted because children who spend numerous hours in front of screens, do not have as much practice in verbal interaction,” she continued.
Mental health
“Mental health is also another challenge; as analyzing studies on the effects of increased screen time the doctor noted that children were likely to develop anxiety, depression and attention disorders,” opined Dr Mohan.
Poor academic performance
“On the academic side, a long time spent in front of screens has been linked with poor academic achievement The reason for this why could be lack of time for educational activities, disruptions in the sleep cycle due to blue light exposure, as well as short attention spans,” said Dr Mohan.
Recommendations for parents
With regard to screen time, doctors advise that children as well adults should limit their use of screens especially for activities that are non-productive in nature.
“Encourage regular breaks by following the 20-20-20 rule: Everyone should gaze at something that is twenty feet away from them every twenty minutes for about twenty seconds, and organizations must make sure that the working environment is comfortable and that they apply proper lighting ‘ and organizing workstations.”
“Encourage them to go out to play to reduce screen time for their eyes, and use a blue light filter on screens, also children should use sunglasses that have UV protection when going out,” he stated.
In order to reduce the effects of prolonged screen use, doctors encourage blinking exercises and palming to keep eyes moist, shifting focus from near to distant objects, gentle eye-rolling to relax muscles, and maintaining proper posture with the screen at eye level.
