{"id":69475,"date":"2026-06-12T18:15:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/12\/myopia-and-screen-time-is-your-childs-digital-lifestyle-affecting-vision\/"},"modified":"2026-06-12T18:15:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T12:45:15","slug":"myopia-and-screen-time-is-your-childs-digital-lifestyle-affecting-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/12\/myopia-and-screen-time-is-your-childs-digital-lifestyle-affecting-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Myopia and Screen Time: Is Your Child\u2019s Digital Lifestyle Affecting Vision?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>(Clockwise from Above left: Dr. Lav Kochgaway, Dr. Akshay Mohan, Dr. Prasad Walimbe, Dr. Leila Mohan)<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>New Delhi [India], June 11: <\/strong>Eight-year-old Zara received a tablet during online schooling. What started as virtual classes soon expanded into gaming, cartoons, and social media scrolling. Within two years, she needed spectacles. This story sounds familiar in many Indian homes. During Myopia Awareness Week, ophthalmologists are urging families to rethink children\u2019s screen habits as excessive near work is increasingly linked to myopia progression.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cExcessive smartphone use increases near-screen focus, eye strain and indoor time, all of which can worsen myopia in children. Outdoor play in natural sunlight helps relax the eyes and supports healthy visual development. Encouraging children to spend more time outdoors and limiting prolonged screen exposure are simple yet effective ways to protect long-term vision.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Lav Kochgaway, Paediatric Ophthalmologist, Netralayam, Kolkata<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indian children today spend long hours on smartphones, tablets, televisions, and laptops. During the COVID-19 pandemic, screen exposure increased dramatically, and Indian researchers reported worsening eye strain and visual complaints among children.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMan is basically a primate, his visual system designed for distant viewing by default. With modern demands of near work and the impact of digital media, the eye adapts to remodel for the requirements of modern living, and myopia develops. Though genetics has a role, early exposure to smartphones and indoor culture has led to an alarming prevalence of myopia in East Asian countries. Let our children go under the sun for an hour daily and keep away from smartphones!<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Leila Mohan, HOD, Paediatric Ophthalmology, Comtrust Eye Hospital, Calicut<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When children spend prolonged hours focusing on near objects, they often blink less, experience digital eye strain, and spend less time outdoors.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe key to tackling myopia lies in balance, not elimination. Digital devices are a part of modern life, but combining controlled usage with healthy habits like outdoor exposure and visual breaks can protect children\u2019s vision effectively.\u201d<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Akshay Mohan, Paediatric Ophthalmologist, Calgary Eye Hospital, Jaipur<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Parents should watch for symptoms such as:<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Frequent headaches<\/li>\n<li>Eye rubbing<\/li>\n<li>Watering eyes<\/li>\n<li>Difficulty seeing distant objects<\/li>\n<li>Reduced concentration in studies<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMyopia is no longer just a refractive error but a growing public health concern, with high myopia increasing risks of retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataract, and macular degeneration. By 2050, nearly 50% may be affected. Early eye checkups, outdoor activity, reduced near work, low-dose atropine, and special glasses are key to controlling progression.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Prasad Walimbe, Pediatric Ophthalmologist, Director, Walimbe Eye Clinic, Pune<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Experts recommend:<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Limiting recreational screen use<\/li>\n<li>Encouraging frequent breaks<\/li>\n<li>Following the 20-20-20 rule<\/li>\n<li>Ensuring proper lighting<\/li>\n<li>Promoting outdoor activities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Digital devices are now a part of modern education and entertainment. The goal is not complete restriction\u2014but balanced habits that support healthy vision.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLifestyle modifications ensuring plenty of outdoor activities, minimizing screen time, prevent myopia and complement optical and medical control strategies that slow myopia progression. Our focus has now shifted from Myopia to Premyopia, i.e., catching these children at an early stage and preventing progression to manifest myopia.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dr. Sumita Muthu, Consultant Pediatric Ophthalmologist, Narayana Nethralaya, Bengaluru<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes the first sign of excessive screen use is not poor grades\u2014it\u2019s blurred distance vision.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References:<\/h2>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Huang HM, Chang DS, Wu PC. PLoS One. 2015;10(10):e0140419.<\/li>\n<li>Mohan A, Sen P, Peeush P, et al. Indian J Ophthalmol. 2021;69(11):3318-3323.<\/li>\n<li>Wolffsohn JS, Flitcroft DI, Gifford KL, et al. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2019;60(3):M184-M203.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/8579-myopia-nearsightedness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/diseases\/8579-myopia-nearsightedness<\/a>\u00a0accessed on 04\/05\/2026<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/moaeyes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/moaeyes.com<\/a>\u00a0accessed on 04\/05\/2026<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>If you object to the content of this press release, please notify us at pr.error.rectification@gmail.com. We will respond and rectify the situation within 24 hours.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Clockwise from Above left: Dr. Lav Kochgaway, Dr. Akshay Mohan, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":69476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[7],"class_list":["post-69475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesspoint.co.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}