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By Chris Brown

The eyes have it

More screen time increasing parents’ concerns about eye strain

Apr 27, 2021 | 2:33 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – There was already significant concern about deteriorating eye health due to screen time, and as screen time has increased in the past year with the COVID-19 pandemic those concerns have grown as well.

Local optometrist Dr. Clark Hyde says that in general there has been an increase in near-sightedness among all ages.

“We know that children, well anybody on a screen, doesn’t blink as much when they’re on a screen, our eyes have to work a little harder to make it clear and that can lead to eye strain,” he explains. “Sometimes we think that eye strain means our eyes are going to deteriorate and fall apart. In this case not quite so much but we do know that kids who spend more time outside are much less likely to need glasses.”

A recent survey for the Alberta Association of Optometrists shows 75 per cent of parents are concerned about their children’s eye health.

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The survey found about 40 to 50 per cent of a child’s waking hours are spent on digital devices, and that rises to 60 per cent among teenagers.

Hyde says there is still much to be learned about the link between screen time and eye health, but some things have already become clear.

He says the longer a person is on a screen the less that child has good attention, so attention problems are becoming an issue.

He also says screens emit a lot of blue light, and the more blue exposure we have the more alert we are.

“So if a person is using a screen right before bed they’re less likely to be able to fall asleep easily. We always recommend keeping away from screens about an hour before bed,” he says.

He also says blue light exposure is thought to contribute to macular degeneration and cataracts and blue light filter glasses are becoming more popular.

Hyde says it’s time for a checkup any time you’re feeling more eye strain or discomfort than you think you should.

“There’s so many contributing factors to eye strain or discomfort that it could be all sorts of things,” he says. “So anything that a person feels is not normal, is a good reason to come in and get it checked.”

The Alberta Association of Optometrists suggests that to reduce the impact of screen time, parents can implement easy, everyday actions, including limiting handheld devices, planning for outside playtime, putting away electronics one to two hours before bedtime, and ensuring children hold reading material away from their face. Most importantly, parents should implement eye health breaks or even set routine ‘unplug’ days following screen-heavy time periods to give their children’s eyes a rest.