RAWALPINDI: The leading ophthalmologist at Al-Shifa Trust, Prof. Dr. Tayyab Afghani Tuesday said that smart phones have developed into a substantial risk for youngsters. He said smart phones could have severe and long-lasting effects on children’s eye health.
While talking to media persons, he said that “mobile phones keep children connected at all times and serve many positive purposes, but overuse has become common, leading to serious eye complications.”
The ophthalmologist advised the parents and teachers to be aware of the consequences of children staring at smart phones for too long. According to him, most children with access to a smart phone use it almost all the time, while those whose eyesight is still developing have disastrous impacts on their vision.
Dr Afghani said smart phones could potentially contribute to epidemic levels of eye problems, and research shows that by 2050, the vision of 50 per cent of the world’s population may be affected. He said mobile phones have anti-glare screens and settings that reduce the emission of blue light, which may damage the cornea.
However, adjusting the brightness, contrast, and size of the text can help reduce some harm to the eyes. Teaching children to blink frequently when watching the screen and ensuring the screen is at least 16 inches away from their eyes while watching is always helpful, he advised. Afghani stressed that parents and teachers should try to involve children in other activities that distract them from the screen.
He said that setting time limits on how long kids can stare at screens is the best way to keep them from getting eye problems. Every six months, a trained ophthalmologist should examine children’s eyes, lubricant eye drops should be used, and the 20-20 rule must be followed. According to this rule, a person using a screen should shift his eyes to look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds and be repeated after a 20-minute gap.
