Children and Computer Vision Syndrome

Eye
Originally uploaded by Jeevan_.

The average American child now spends one to three hours per day on the computer doing homework, talking online with friends, and playing games. Parents encourage children as young as two or three years old to use the computer. In fact:

· 90% of school-age children have computer access at home or in school.

· 54 million children in the United States alone use a computer at home or in school.

Many pediatric computer vision eye doctors believe that heavy computer use among children puts them at risk for early myopia. They point to several recent studies as evidence that computers can have a negative impact on a child's vision:

· 25% to 30% of computer-using children need corrective eyewear to work comfortably and safely at the computer at home or in school, says a study at the University of California at Berkeley School of Optometry.

· The percentage of first-graders with myopia has increased from 12.1% to 20.4% since 1995, according to a study by the Department of Health in Taiwan.

· A similar study in Singapore found that in three years the percentage of seven- to nine-year-olds with myopia had doubled, to 34%.

Sitting for hours in front of a computer screen stresses a child's eyes because the computer forces the child's vision system to focus and strain a lot more than any other task. Twenty years ago, most children played outside, and their distant vision was more important. Today, most children work at a computer either at home or school each day. Sitting in front of a computer and staring at a computer screen is causing vision problems that were not known years ago.

Today it is a "near-point world," and parents need to be aware of the vision problems associated with computer work. Computer use demands fine motor skills from young eyes that are not well developed. Only when the visual system matures is a child better able to handle the stress of a computer on that system.
According to the American Optometric Association, the impact of computer use on children's vision involves these factors:
· Children have a limited degree of self-awareness. They may perform a task on the computer for hours with few breaks. This prolonged activity can cause eye focusing and eye strain problems.

· Children are very adaptable. They assume that what they see and how they see is normal — even if their vision is problematic. That's why it is important for parents to monitor the time a child spends working at a computer.

· Children are smaller than adults. Since computer workstations are often arranged for adult use, this can change the viewing angle for children. Computer users should view the screen slightly downward, at a 15-degree angle. Furthermore, as a result of difficulty reaching the keyboard or placing their feet on the floor, a child may experience neck, shoulder and/or back pain.

(Continue tomorrow)