DR. NEDA AHMADI

DR. SOFIA AHMAD, DR. AISWARIYA MOHANTY, DR. PRITI SINHA

Abstract

AIM: TO STUDY THE EFFECT OF DIGITAL SCREEN TIME ON INCIDENCE OF MYOPIA

MATERIAL & METHOD: OBSERVATIONAL CASE STUDY DONE FOR A PERIOD OF 1 YEAR. ALL CHILDREN BETWEEN AGE GROUP OF 12 TO 20 YEARS WITH INCREASED SCREEN TIME OVER LAST 6-8 MONTHS WERE INCLUDED. CHILDREN WITH REFRACTIVE ERROR, STRABISMUS, AMBLYOPIA, RETINAL AND CONGENITAL DISORDERS WERE EXCLUDED. CYCLOPLEGIC REFRACTION AND FUNDOSCOPY WAS DONE

RESULT: OUT OF 154 CHILDREN SELECTED, 36 WERE NEWLY DIAGNOSED AS MYOPES. MOST OF THEM HAD SIGNIFICANT SCREEN TIME OF > 4 HOURS WHICH VARIED WITH TYPE OF DEVICE

CONCLUSION: THE INCIDENCE OF MYOPIA IN THIS STUDY WAS 23.37% WHICH SHOWS TREMENDOUS INCREASE AS COMPARED TO LAST FEW DECADES. BY 2050, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 5 BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE WILL BE MYOPIC (MYOPIC EPIDEMIC). DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND VIRTUAL LEARNING MIGHT FURTHER ACCELERATE THE EPIDEMIC. THIS THREAT TO EYE HEALTH COULD BE A SIGN OF GROWING CONCERN AND WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF HOW MUCH TIME CHILDREN SHOULD SPEND ON DEVICES.

Full Text