{"id":20520,"date":"2022-01-24T12:57:45","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T12:57:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=20520"},"modified":"2022-01-24T12:57:45","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T12:57:45","slug":"is-the-myopia-explosion-linked-to-digital-screens","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-myopia-management\/is-the-myopia-explosion-linked-to-digital-screens\/","title":{"rendered":"Is the Myopia Explosion Linked to Digital Screens?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By the year 2050, it\u2019s projected that more than half of the world\u2019s population will have myopia.\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

Are digital screens to blame?<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

In this day and age, and especially during the time of COVID-19<\/a>, most children spend a large part of their day looking at digital screens.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s distance learning classes on the computer, homework on the tablet or YouTube on their smartphones, there\u2019s no denying that our children are in front of screens now more than ever.<\/p>\n

The last few years have seen an explosion of people diagnosed with short-sightedness (myopia)<\/a>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Use of digital screens for more than 3 hours a day results in a 30 percent increase in myopia risk.<\/b><\/p>\n

Has the proliferation of screens in our lives caused a myopia explosion<\/a> or are the trends simply coincidental?<\/p>\n

The case for a link between screens and myopia<\/b><\/h2>\n

A May 2020 study published in Clinical and Experimental Optometry<\/i> relied on the objective measure of mobile data usage to identify a link between screen time and myopia prevalence.<\/p>\n

The study compared the amount of data usage to the prevalence of myopia, and found that people with myopia used almost twice as much data as those without<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Researchers on this study suggest a strong relationship between data usage, and by extension screen usage, and the development of myopia.<\/p>\n

Though this study was unable to find significant data to draw conclusions about mobile data usage and myopia progression<\/a>, the study noted that higher data usage did seem to coincide with a higher severity of myopia.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Further research published in The Lancet Digital Health<\/i> (October 2021)<\/i> also suggests a link between screen time and myopia.<\/p>\n

Researchers from Singapore, Australia, China and the United Kingdom conducted one of the most comprehensive studies to-date on this subject, compiling more than 3,000 separate research articles studying the link between smart devices and myopia in people ages 3 months to 33 years.<\/p>\n

After analyzing all the studies available, researchers found that 3 hours a day or more on a digital device caused a 30% increase in myopia risk.<\/b><\/p>\n

These numbers are especially concerning given the COVID-19\u00a0 pandemic, when many children all over the world have upped their screen time, between distance learning<\/a> and using screens for entertainment.<\/p>\n

SEE RELATED: <\/b>Does Myopia Progression Affect Adults?<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information about how digital screens may impact your child\u2019s vision and how you can help, contact your local eye doctor.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t

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