Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, children are spending a lot of time with their families. That’s a great thing indeed!
But, there are also online classes as almost everything has gone online. These online classes do impart a lot of knowledge. At the same time, they lead to continual exposure to digital gadgets, thereby causing dry eye, headache, and an increase of refractive power in your kid’s eye.
Dryness and associates – the usual ‘digital’ issues
Due to prolonged use of digital screens, your child may see the objects blur. After a certain interval, they rub their eyes again and again and complain of itching. Often you see that they are blinking frequently. This happens due to the evaporation of tears from the tear film layer found on the cornea.
The eye becomes dry due to the infrequent blinking which in turn reduces the exchange of tears in the eyes. Your kid complains of watering and itching.
The power of headache or the headache of power…
Due to home-based learning procedures, children are spending a lot of time in front of digital gadgets. As a result, the eye muscles get fatigued, which slowly pushes your child to suffer from headaches.
As your child sits for a longer period in front of a digital screen, the eyes become more and more strenuous. The kid moves forward to see the screen and either squeezes the eyes or makes them bigger since he can’t see the screen clearly. This consequently develops power in your child’s eye.
Can you cut down on the use of digital gadgets by kids to prevent this? There’s no easy answer to this. Due to the COVID 19 outbreak, children’s movement is restricted and they cannot indulge in outdoor activities. Hence, naturally, they turn to mobile, tablets, or computers very quickly. Means of learning and recreation – both have become digital!
So, What Can You Do as a Parent?
Follow these necessary steps to keep your child’s vision healthy:
- Eye check every 6 months.
- Use blue blocker lenses with or without power to protect from harmful blue light.
- Use lubricating eye drops to relieve dryness.
- Ask your little ones to follow the 20-20-20 rule.
Adopt these measures and let your children be a part of the digital world without any damage to their eyes!
