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2017-12-28 20:55:21
By Katherine Sellgren BBC News
Kids seem to spend endless hours on smartphones, games consoles, computers and
tablets these days.
Playing on electronic devices certainly doesn't help their waistlines, but do
you ever wonder what regular device use is doing to their eyesight?
While there isn't much research out there yet about the impact of screens on
eyesight - after all the iPhone was first unveiled by Apple in only 2007 -
experts are concerned about growing levels of short-sightedness in children.
And they suggest the best thing parents can do to prevent it is to encourage
youngsters to spend more time outdoors in the sunlight.
How short-sightedness is on the rise
There has been a massive rise around the globe in short-sightedness - or myopia
as it's officially known - over recent decades.
"We know that myopia or short-sightedness is becoming more common," says Chris
Hammond, professor of ophthalmology at King's College London and consultant
ophthalmic surgeon at St Thomas' Hospital.
"It has reached epidemic levels in East Asia, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea,
where approaching 90% of 18-year-olds are now short-sighted.
"In Europe, it's potentially getting up to 40% to 50% of young adults in their
mid-20s who are short-sighted now in Western Europe. It's been gradually rising
over the decades of the 20th Century from around 20-30%."
Why has it become so much more common?
Annegret Dahlmann-Noor, consultant ophthalmologist at Moorfields Eye Hospital
in London says lack of natural light seems to be the key issue.
"The main factor seems to be a lack of exposure to direct sunlight, because
children who study a lot and who use computers or smartphones or tablet
computers a lot have less opportunity to run around outside and are less
exposed to sunshine and because of that seem to be at more risk of developing
short-sightedness."
Prof Hammond says: "It may be that there's no coincidence that in East Asian
countries, the most myopic ones all correlate with the maths league tables.
Image copyright Getty Images
"These kids are being pushed with very intensive education from a very young
age and spend a lot of time indoors studying everything close up and very
little time outdoors.
"Therefore the concern is that all close work - like playing with the iPad and
iPhone - carries the potential that it could make them more short-sighted."
So should we stop or limit screen use?
Well that's much easier said than done! Any parent will know that youngsters
are like dogs with bones when it comes to their beloved phones and trying to
get them off their devices is pretty much impossible - certainly without a
massive argument.
Dr Dahlmann-Noor, who is a mother of three, says trying to stop screen use is
probably an unrealistic aspiration.
"You can only tell them that it might make their eyes uncomfortable, it might
make them short-sighted and they should not use it as much as they like to.
"But, hand on heart, I don't think we can get away from this because they also
have to do their school homework on laptops and iPads and they do their
searches for background information on screens.
"If you're a teenager and you have got revision to do for GCSEs or A-levels
then you can't really switch off, can you? So I don't think we will be reducing
the screen use, really, in years to come."
Time outdoors is the key
The best thing to do, say the experts, is to get children playing outside as
much as possible.
"Protective of myopia development is time outdoors - sport and leisure outdoors
are protective of eyesight," says Prof Hammond.
"In a perfect world, probably on average across the week and the weekend, two
hours a day outdoors is protective of becoming short-sighted in children."
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He says myopia research done in Sydney, Australia showed that only 3% of
Chinese-heritage children living in Sydney - who spent two hours a day outdoors
- were short-sighted by the age of six, compared to nearly 30% of six-year-olds
in Singapore.
"So again, suggestive that the outdoor lifestyle is good for our eyes."
And don't forget your veg
Dr Dahlmann-Noor says diet is also an area where families can help with
eyesight.
"We always tell parents about omega-3 essential fatty acids, and vitamins A, C
and E and nutrients that are good for the back of the eye.
"Healthy diet really is important - in terms of getting oily fish, avocados,
green vegetables, green leafy vegetables as much as possible.
Image copyright Getty Images
"Or in children, all these supplements that you can buy over the counter that
are good for the brain, also happen to be good for the eyes - they're just not
marketed for that."
She also recommends regular annual eye checks.
How would I know if my child was becoming short-sighted?
According to NHS Choices, signs that your child may be short-sighted include:
needing to sit near the front of the class at school because they find it
difficult to read the whiteboard
sitting close to the television
complaining of headaches or tired eyes
regularly rubbing their eyes
When someone's short-sighted, the eyes have grown slightly too long, which
means light rays focus just in front of the retina, at the back of the eye, so
distant objects to appear blurred, but close objects are seen clearly.
Hope for tomorrow's treatment
While levels of myopia are likely to continue to rise, the hope is that
researchers will find ways to reduce its progression.
Dr Dahlmann-Noor says: "What we need to look at, in terms of research and
development, is ways of modifying the impact that these activities have on
their visual development."
Prof Hammond adds: "There are eye drops and other treatments to slow myopia
progression. But in terms of preventing myopia itself, there isn't any data out
there at the moment in terms of 'Could the drops we use to slow progression
stop myopia developing at all?'
"I think it's going to be the logical next step of research studies, as in
countries like urban China - where 10% of children in each class per year are
becoming short-sighted from about the age of six - there's an argument for
saying we should be trying to prevent it."