Digital eye strain: How to protect your kids' eyes from smartphone use

Digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome affects individuals of all age groups and is characterized by visual and ocular symptoms due to prolonged use of digital electronic devices. The recent outbreak of COVID-19 has caused an upsurge in the use of digital electronic devices. Several countries including India had declared lockdown which made most people resort to digital devices to communicate, interact and continue with their job responsibilities from home . While there is a rise in adults and working class people’s use of online learning services and video conferencing platforms like zoom and Google meet during the pandemic, children too are using these platforms for study material and lectures. Other than that, time spent on social media by children has increased drastically.

Use of digital electronic devices under proper ambient lighting and adjusting the image parameters (resolution, contrast and font size) to improve the conditions for visual perception and thus relieve eye strain. Parents must ensure that kids follow a 20/20/20 rule. After every 20 minutes of screen time, a break of 20 seconds during which the subject needs to focus at a distant object which is at a distance of 20 feet.

Preservative free lubricant eye drops help to keep the ocular surface and prevent dryness due to the reduced blink rate. Use of digital screens with inbuilt anti reflective coating and polaroid glasses to reduce strain on the eyes. Special lens tints and coatings can reduce the harmful impact of blue light.

Use of screen time tracking to control excessive screen usage and softwares to remind the user to blink or take breaks during the work. Proper body positioning which includes chair comfort, location of study material and position of the monitor must be followed. Improved ergonomics reduces discomfort and increases productivity.

Uncorrected or under corrected refractive errors can be a major contributing factor to digital eye strain. Even small refractive errors can aggravate the symptoms of computer vision syndrome. Hence, every individual must undergo detailed ocular examination yearly to rule out any refractive error and correction if required.

Use of blue light before sleep time must be reduced to avoid alteration of the sleep cycle and circadian rhythm. Software’s to change the colour of the desktop screen according to the time of the day are available and thus to possibly promote circadian rhythm. Avoid environmental factors such as dry air, ventilation fans, airborne paper dust and building contaminants which aggravate dryness of the ocular surface.

Contact lens users are more likely to suffer a higher severity of ocular discomfort following prolonged work periods on a digital screen. Hence, they must use lubricating eye drops regularly to keep their ocular surface moist.

To summarise, a holistic approach must be advocated to the treatment and management of the ocular symptoms of digital eye strain in children. The treatment must be multi directional which includes modifications in the ergonomics of the work station, refractive error correction, lighting and environmental factors, frequent play breaks and management of the underlying ocular and systemic pathologies. This will ensure better care and prevention of further deterioration of eye health in kids.