Since the start of COVID-19, many children have been learning remotely.\u00a0 While parents are understandably concerned that their children will fall behind academically at school<\/a>, eye professionals are concerned that undiagnosed visual disorders will have an impact on the child’s performance in school.<\/a><\/p>\n Are your child\u2019s eyes \u2018school ready\u2019?<\/i><\/p>\n Imagine trying to learn with blurry vision, eye strain or even headaches?<\/i><\/p>\n Undiagnosed vision problems can impede a child’s ability to learn<\/a>, which is why eye doctors highly recommend that children have a comprehensive eye exam before the start of the new school year<\/b>.<\/p>\n While it may be tempting to rely on school-provided vision screenings, these simple visual acuity tests can detect only a few\u00a0 vision problems, such as nearsightedness (myopia). They offer no reassurance that your child’s eyes are ready to handle the challenges of school and homework.<\/p>\n During a full eye exam, an eye doctor can assess a child’s vision and eye health, as well as visual skills like depth perception and eye tracking, and will tell you whether your child’s eyes are “school-ready.”<\/p>\n While the amount of time children spent staring at digital displays was already an issue before COVID-19, \u00a0 the pandemic has only made matters worse.<\/p>\n Children have been found to spend twice as much time on screens during COVID-related closures than they did before the pandemic, according to the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology (2020).<\/p>\n For one thing, staring at a digital screen for long periods of time strains the eyes, making children and adults more prone to digital eye strain, often known as computer vision syndrome..<\/p>\n Students who stare at a screen for two hours or longer are at an increased risk of developing this condition.<\/p>\n Digital eye strain symptoms<\/a> may include:<\/p>\n These symptoms above can also be exacerbated by these issues below:<\/p>\n Aside from digital eye strain<\/a>, multiple studies have revealed that children who spend a lot of time indoors performing “near tasks” like writing, reading, and gazing at computers and other digital devices experience\u00a0 a faster rate of myopia progression<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to a study published in 2020 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s professional journal, Ophthalmology, first-graders who spent at least 11 hours per week outside in the sunshine had a slower progression of myopia.<\/p>\n Although the reason behind this is unknown, some experts believe that the sun\u2019s brightness plays a role, while others think that looking\u00a0 at distant objects can help prevent myopia progression<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re concerned about your child\u2019s eyes being \u2018school ready\u2019<\/strong> contact an eye doctor near you<\/b>.<\/p>\n\n\tUndiagnosed vision problems<\/b><\/h2>\n
How vision is affected by online learning<\/b><\/h2>\n
Digital eye strain<\/b><\/h2>\n
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