Everyone uses digital devices as they have become an integral part of life. The same applies to children. Most parents allow their kids to use screens for communication, education, and entertainment. While that can be beneficial, excessive screen time can harm their vision. 
 

The negative impact of spending long hours staring at screens has become a growing concern among healthcare professionals and parents. Continue reading this article to learn how it impacts vision in children and if vision therapy can help.

Eyestrain

Excessive screen time leaves children dealing with eyestrain. As their eye muscles tire from staring too long at the screens, they experience difficulty focusing, headaches, and discomfort. Children tend to forget to blink when staring at screens. This worsens the problem. Using proper lighting, practicing good posture, and taking regular breaks from the screen can reduce eyestrain.

Dry Eyes

Children who spend long hours staring at screens forget to blink, leading to dry eyes. Eye dryness develops when the eye surface does not get enough moisture or lubrication from tears. It leads to irritation, discomfort, and even vision problems. 

Your child may experience dry eyes often if they spend most of their time staring at a screen. To mitigate this, they must take breaks and blink regularly. Blinking helps spread the tear film across their eye surface for moisture and lubrication.

Myopia

Myopia, also called nearsightedness, is a condition where distant objects appear blurry. Research links excessive screen time to an increased risk of developing myopia in children. It strains their eyes when they focus on screens at a close distance. Taking regular breaks and limiting screen time can help. It also pays to encourage your child to practice good posture.

Blue Light Exposure
 

The blue light emitted by screens damages the eyes over time. It also increases the risk of macular degeneration and causes sleep disturbances. Children become exposed to high levels of blue light when they spend extensive hours staring at screens. Parents can reduce this risk by investing in protective eyewear. They must also discourage screen time before bedtime.

How Vision Therapy Can Help

Vision therapy is a treatment program designed to improve visual function and efficiency for patients. It entails activities and exercises that enhance visual processing, eye movements, and eye coordination. It is a noninvasive treatment that can treat various visual problems, including those that result from excessive screen time.

One primary benefit of visual therapy is reducing eyestrain. The exercises help strengthen the eye muscles that control eye movements to reduce stress and fatigue. It improves eye coordination, a function often affected by excessive screen time. 

Poor coordination occurs when the eyes cannot work together effectively. It results in difficulty focusing or double vision. Vision therapy trains the brain to use both eyes together effectively. It also improves visual acuity.

Vision therapy addresses dry eye syndrome caused by excessive screen time. It teaches the patient to blink more regularly and effectively to reduce the risk of dry eye syndrome. It also reduces the risk of eye infections.

Vision therapy can help prevent the development of myopia in children spending excessive time staring at screens. It teaches children to use their eyes effectively at different distances. It also prevents nearsightedness from worsening.

The specific activities and exercises in vision therapy help promote good visual habits. Children can learn to maintain good posture and take frequent breaks from screens. Incorporating this into their daily routine reduces strain on their eyes and improves their overall visual health.

For more about the impact of screen time on vision, visit VEO Vision Therapy at our office in Wichita, Kansas. Call (316) 999-4100 to book an appointment today.