The pandemic has forced everyone to rely on digital devices for entertainment, communication, education, and work. Children and adults spend hours gazing at their phone, tablet, or computer screens, which can take a toll on their eye health. At Vizavance, we encourage parents to be especially careful and monitor how much time the kids spend on a device. We also encourage parents to get Oklahoma eye exam for kids to keep track of their vision health.
Risks of Excessive Exposure to Digital Screens
Children between 2 and 8 years old spend around two hours on the screen while children between 8 and 10 spend around six hours on the screen every day. This has only increased during the pandemic with some experts saying the screen time has increased by 500% now. Experts agree that kids under the age of five shouldn’t spend more than an hour every day on these devices, but the pandemic has changed things and forced parents to compromise on this stance.
Excessive exposure can cause issues like computer vision syndrome, nearsightedness, and poor posture. If you don’t encourage frequent breaks from the screen, you may also have to deal with myopia progression. Get an eye test for kids at regular intervals to ensure the children don’t develop issues during the pandemic due to excessive screen time.
What Can You Do?
Many professionals agree that allowing children more screen time during the pandemic won’t do too much harm if parents exercise caution and ensure kids develop healthy habits. They also need to make sure the screen time limitations are back in place after the pandemic for long-term eye health. Here’s a look at some habits you need to cultivate:
20-20-20 Rule – Take a break away from the screen every 20 minutes and look at an object that is 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This helps relax your eyes’ focusing and alignment muscles, reducing eye strain significantly.
Posture Changes – You can implement a posture check during the 20-second break as well. Make sure the back is straight, head properly aligned with the screen, loosen the neck and shoulder.
Protective Eyeglasses – Protective eyeglasses with photochromatic lenses and anti-glare coating can help reduce the impact of blue light on the child’s eye.
Get Children’s Eye Test in Oklahoma – Regular eye test is essential to keep track of your child’s vision health, but it is even more important now. Increased blue light exposure and screen time can cause problems if you’re not careful. Eye tests can help you spot the issues early and take steps to limit the damage.
Make sure you schedule a media-free time for your entire family to help counteract eyestrain and addiction to devices. You can play board games, enjoy some time outdoors, or even cook meals together. These are all fun and engaging activities that don’t require any digital devices.
If you want information on children’s eye health, give us a call. You can book an appointment for free eye exams in Oklahoma at the earliest convenience.
