Nearsightedness Among Children - Computers to Blame?

Nearsightedness or in medical terms, myopia, is defined by the Mayo Clinic as a condition in which a person can see objects near them clearly, but objects farther away blurry. It is a condition that develops and worsens during childhood and adolescence and tends to run in families.

According to Medscape, myopia occurs in many children during childhood, especially during the age of 9 to 13 years. Last year, a study from German researchers have found that the risk for nearsightedness is affected by environmental factors, which may even outweigh genetic factors, the American Academy of Opthalmology reports.

HealthDay reports that during the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Opthalmology (AAO) in Las Vegas, a panel of 10 ophthalmology experts discussed the global rise of childhood myopia, which they believe is caused by too much time indoors and in front of computers or electronic devices. This, the scientists believe, increase their risk for nearsightedness.

"Kids are spending much more time doing indoor activities with their cellphones, iPads, computers, and so on," Dr. Rohit Varma, director of the University of Southern California Eye Institute in Los Angeles, said.

"Especially when children are young, when they play these games indoors where they're seeing things very close to them and doing it in low-light level—that combination of doing near activities in low light is what contributes to these children becoming very nearsighted," she explained.

AAO spokesman Dr. K. David Epley added that nearsightedness is also attributed to genetics, as the condition is more common in kids whose parents are also nearsighted. Environment factors in as well, as myopia is more prevalent in industrialized and urban areas compared to rural areas.

According to experts, the prevalence of Americans who have myopia has doubled in the last 50 years. Children from East Asia are also genetically predisposed to have the condition, and their habits may increase their risk. WebMD reports that kids in China spend 12 hours a day doing near work, compared to their American counterparts who spend about nine hours per day on near work.

Epley said, "We want to encourage our kids to read, but it's not a great thing to read for hours straight without looking up from the page. Encourage kids to take breaks. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break. Get your eyes off the page with something that's farther away."

Epley also recommends that children read using a bright light because reading in dim lights may strain the eyes. While there is no defined number of hours spent on near work that is defined as too much, scientists encourage parents to let their children spend more time playing outdoors.

"When you're outdoors there's more stuff that's far away, and when you're indoors the furthest thing away is still probably about 20 feet away," Dr. David Hunter, chief of ophthalmology at Boston Children's Hospital, explained. Playing outdoors is also beneficial because children get to see things in natural, bright light.