What over screen time does to your eyes? Experts explain...

CHENNAI: As Tamil Nadu plans to reopen schools for next academic year in June mid, children have again increased the usage of digital products, which has become common during the pandemic. However, health experts advised too much screen time can cause eyestrain to certain people, especially among the kids.

"Though the risk of permanent eye damage might be less but over usage of watching or reading on a computer screen or mobile phone can lead to various problems like headaches, eye strain, dry eyes etc. It can be because people blink less when they are staring at computer screens than reading a book or magazine," Dr. Srikanth Ramasubramanian, Ophthalmologist, Apollo Spectra Hospital.

He added that when concentrating on digital displays, a person's eye blink rate can be lowered by one-third to one-half, and that causes their eyes to dry up. Also, there are chances that many might not be viewing these screens from the proper distance.

To avoid eye complication, experts suggested to adjust lighting in the room and experiment with raising the contrast on the screen. Placing the computer in a location that is free of glare, particularly from overhead lights or windows helps the eyes.

Though prolonged usage of mobile phone lead to several eye issues, it also affects children's sleep cycle. Eventually, it impacts the overall health too.

"The light produced by the phone and other screens may affect the body's natural wake and sleep cycle. When there is lack of sleep, kids health will be affected by other complications. Hence, limiting using the devices - to one to two hours before bedtime is advised," said another city-based optomologist.