I am not going to sit here and write about the pandemic, there are plenty of articles available to read about that. What I do want to talk about is the ongoing myopia epidemic and the unknown “myopia boom” we might experience during this digital time.
Myopia is the inability to see things clearly far away and occurs when the eye is elongated, so the image is focused in front of the retina. It was expected that half of the population will become myopic by 2050. Data from the American Optometric Association revealed that one in four parents had a child with myopia in 2018, an increase of 25 percent from just 40 years ago. (Greenway, 2020). Although no one knows precisely why the eyes become elongated, some researchers believe that bringing something closer to view, like a tablet or phone, may cause this.
This pandemic has caused many people to work and learn from home, increasing the time spent in front of screens. The internet has made it more convenient for people to still continue their days as normal, but what are the consequences? I believe children will face the biggest consequences, since their eyes are still growing. Myopia has already become a huge problem that Taiwan and Singapore have incorporated more outdoor activities into school time to reduce the onset of myopia. (Wong, Tsai, et. al., 2020).
Blue light filter glasses have become the rage so help reduce eye fatigue, but there is no definitive evidence that they actually work. If you are experiencing eye-fatigue or headaches from long periods of screen time, I highly recommend the 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, you should be looking at something else 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Only time will tell what the effects of this pandemic will have on myopia, but I hope this brings light to be aware about your eye health.
Greenway, H. K. (2020, August 17). How to protect children's eyes during remote learning. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/parenting/kids-eyesight-distance-learning-coronavirus.html
I have always heard how increased screen time is detrimental to our eye health, but what a great point that with all of this Zoom, boredom while being quarantined, and swiping our phones during the pandemic we are accelerating this damage. Accelerating so much so, that it is being estimated that myopia will become the most common cause of irreversible vision impairment and blindness worldwide (Jonas, 2019)! On another note, I do like the efforts being made by Taiwan and Singapore and I think the US could take notes on getting more of our young (and more of society as a whole) outdoors more and away from technology.
ReplyDeleteI am curious what has been shown to put someone susceptible to myopia and its more debilitating versions. I am sure that increased screen time plays a role, but what of environmental factors or any kind of genetic predisposition?
This was interesting to read, I feel as though so many people are starting to wear prescription contacts and glasses especially children over the decades. I wonder if there is greater sensitivity to digital screens in children at a young age than in adulthood that might cause them to develop myopia at a much younger age than someone who had less contact to screens? Another issue that could arise is that even after this outbreak ends we might see more school and work environments adopting an online setting and staying there.
ReplyDeleteAs for these new methods of preventing eye strain such as wearing blue light filtering prescriptions, I believe it would be worth a shot at helping prevent myopia since it has been suggested (Brennan, Sulley, Young, 2019). I feel as though after having read this article, I will be much more conscious about how much time I am spending looking at a screen.
My optometrist has talked to me about this problem where there is an increased number of children going to get their eyes checked. She said many kids hold their devices really close and often in the dark. More children are spending their time indoors due to the urban region of habitation and higher socioeconomic background of the parents (Jonas et al., 2016). Now with the pandemic, it makes sense that the cases of myopia would increase because we are required to minimize daily human interactions and stay inside.
DeleteI discussed with a friend in optometry school about the blue light filtering lenses. He said that they are definitely beneficial if you spend hours constantly on the computer but not for everyday students. In the article that you have looked at, the blue light filtering is beneficial if you spend 2 or more hours on the computer (Brennen et al., 2019). In this current situation of the pandemic, it may be helpful to have to reduce eye fatigue. However, if you have breaks in between or hybrid classes, the 20/20/20 rule that Desiree mentioned is sufficient enough!
References:
Jonas, J. B., Xu, L., Ya, X. W., Hong, S. B., Jian, F. W., Jiang, W. J., . . . Panda-Jonas, S. (2016). Education-related parameters in high myopia: Adults versus school children. PLoS One, 11(5) doi:http://dx.doi.org.dml.regis.edu/10.1371/journal.pone.0154554
Coles-Brennan C, Sulley A, Young G. Management of digital eye strain. Clin Exp Optom. 2019 Jan;102(1):18-29. doi: 10.1111/cxo.12798. Epub 2018 May 23. PMID: 29797453.
Coles-Brennan C, Sulley A, Young G. Management of digital eye strain. Clin Exp Optom. 2019 Jan;102(1):18-29. doi: 10.1111/cxo.12798. Epub 2018 May 23. PMID: 29797453.
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of a pandemic, words like "death" or the name of whatever respective illness is going around are the first things to come to mind, but as this year has gone on, COVID has had so many different and indirect effects on populations. I've heard of increased rates of suicide, depression, abuse, and anxiety as a result of the lockdowns which resulted from the pandemic, but this is the first I've heard about the possibility of the worsening of vision. I think that this then raises the question of what other indirect effects is the pandemic having on us that we aren't even aware of and may not realize until long after this is all over?
ReplyDeleteDesiree, I really enjoyed reading your post. The unintended consequences of the global pandemic has been a big interest to me. As a contact wearer and glasses user, I am always trying to delay the decline of my visual ability. I am very interested in learning more about how children will be affected by the pandemic. Visual acuity is important and if children's eyes aren't developing properly, then there are going to be consequences for our workforce down the road. My younger brother is currently pursuing an undergrad degree for professional aviation and hopes to become a commercial pilot. Kids in his program have been forced to pursue other careers because their vision is not up to snuff with the FAA regulations. If the majority of children today will develop worse eyes than the generation before what will the workforce for high risk jobs like pilots look like in the future?
ReplyDeleteThe impact of the pandemic is going to be in sociology and psychology textbooks for years after. The impact of COVID environmentally, socially, economically, and even politically will change our lives forever and it will be very interesting to see these changes as we get older.