Exploring the Association between Technology Use and Myopia

By: Bhavya Koneti

Introduction

As new technologies are introduced into our lives, children aged 6-10 spend an average of six hours on screens daily, exceeding the recommended maximum of one to two hours daily. Prolonged screen time can harm their eye health, leading to pediatric myopia and long-term vision complications.

Causation or Correlation?

A 2020 meta-analysis by Foreman et al. showed no significant causation between screen time and myopia, but they do admit that even when no statistical association was found, children who were myopic spent more time using screens (Foreman et al).

While technology cannot be solely blamed for causing myopia, research suggests that children who spend more than three hours per day on digital devices are at a 30% higher risk of developing myopia. Additionally, using a different method of research, McCrann et al found a significant correlation between increased screen time and myopia. The study found that those who suffered from myopia used almost twice as much data per day as those who did not, indicating a possible link between screen time and the development of myopia.

Although screen time cannot be considered the primary cause of myopia, it can be considered a correlational factor. As a result, it is crucial to take proactive measures to protect our eyes from screens.

Near Work and Prolonged Screen Time

When exposed to screens, the eyes tend to work harder to focus on close-up objects. This triggers the eye to grow longer (axial elongation) to adjust and focus more effectively on close-up objects. The light can no longer reach the retina when the eye grows longer, leading to nearsightedness (myopia).

Blue Light

Although the blue light emitted by the sun is good for the eyes, prolonged exposure to blue light released from screens can be detrimental. Research by Zhao et al. suggests that because blue light has short wavelengths, it tends to only reach in front of the retina instead of touching it, contributing to nearsightedness (Zhou et al.).

Preventative Measures

Given these alarming correlations between screen time use and myopia development, it is more crucial than ever to take proactive measures to prevent this condition. The fundamental principle behind most of these measures is to ensure that your eyes do not have to work too hard.

20 - 20 - 20 - 20- 2 Rule:

This is a well-known rule that many eye care professionals strongly recommend to limit screen time and increase outdoor time for children. It states that children should

• Take a 20-second break

• Every 20 minutes

• Look 20 Feet Away

• Blink 20 times

• Be outside 2 hours a day

Maintaining Distance: 1-2-10 Rule

Make sure to position screens at least an arm’s length away to minimize eye strain.

• Phones: 1 foot away

• Laptops/desktops: 2 feet away

• TV: 10 feet away

Adjust Lighting:

Ensure that your screen isn't brighter than the surrounding light, adjust your room or screen lighting, and increase the contrast on your screen to reduce eye strain.

Keep Eyes Moist

Low-dose atropine drops relax eye muscles and dilate the pupils, restoring the eye's fluid. However, these eye drops can cause redness or itchiness around the eye. Therefore, they are not widely recommended by eye care professionals.

Annual Eye Exams

Visiting the eye doctor and getting annual eye examinations can help diagnose myopia as early as possible. Early detection is critical in the treatment of myopia.

Implementing these proactive measures not only alleviates the strain on our eyes but also serves as a preventive approach against axial elongation, thereby promoting and safeguarding optimal eye health.

Works Cited: 

Boptom, Raman P. Sah. “The Possible Connection Among Kids, Devices, and Myopia.” Optometry Times, 15 Nov. 2020, www.optometrytimes.com/view/possible-connection-among-kids-devices-and-myopia.

Foreman, Joshua et al. “Association between digital smart device use and myopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” The Lancet. Digital health vol. 3,12 (2021): e806-e818. doi:10.1016/S2589-7500(21)00135-7

Is Screen Time to Blame for the Myopia Epidemic? | Myopia Profile. www.myopiaprofile.com/articles/myopia-epidemic-screens.

Musillo, Sam. “Is Screen Time Really Bad for Our Eyes? | UPMC HealthBeat.” UPMC HealthBeat, 9 May 2023, share.upmc.com/2019/01/screen-time.

Zhao, Zhi-Chun et al. “Research progress about the effect and prevention of blue light on eyes.” International journal of ophthalmology vol. 11,12 1999-2003. 18 Dec. 2018, doi:10.18240/ijo.2018.12.20