It’s been 15 months since we entered the digital space without any preparation due to the coronavirus outbreak. The transition to remote working and learning hasn’t been seamless. However, we adopted and evolved with time. Switching to the digital space has brought comfort and ease of work to some of us while exposing the little ones to health hazards. Their eyesight is significantly affected.
Parents are left with no options to acknowledge the government’s guidelines but allow their children to engage with digital devices to keep them indoors. This deteriorates their eye health as the harmful blue light emitted from digital devices are delicate for eyes and organ sensitivity. Children and adults constantly use digital devices, which leads to dryness, itchiness, irritation, or even redness in the younger ones’ eyes. It may also impact the sleep cycle.
Studies indicate that people tend to blink less while using a computer, which leaves more strain on the tiny muscles inside eyeballs. The eye muscles become tired from focusing on a single fixed point and ultimately become strained.
As per the latest report by Vision Council, around 61% of people (2 out of three) experience eye strain due to the prolonged usage of digital devices.
For kids, it becomes more imperative to take eye care because the right measure at early childhood can help keep their vision healthy in the long run.
So, how to take care of a kid’s vision before it becomes too late?
- While using a computer or electronic device, make sure that the gadget’s screen is at eye level or a little lower to avoid strain.
- You must get a pair of blue-ray protected glasses for your child and ensure that s/he wears them during attending a class online or using any electronic gadgets.
- The eyeglasses must be free of dirt, oil or any other vision blocking elements.
- If any text on the screen seems blurry, that means your monitor may have a lousy resolution or the font size is too small. In such a case, update your screen settings or monitor to a 20-inch monitor to reduce eye strain.
- Make sure that your child maintains a distance of 50-60 cm while using digital screens.
- The brightness level of an electronic device should be reduced.
- To ensure that your kid doesn’t have a disrupted sleep cycle, discourage usage of digital screens two hours before going to bed.
- An annual eye checkup is a good practice to ensure school-goers have a healthy vision.
