Excessive Screen Time Links to Myopia in Young People

health

Either way, staring at screens for hours a day can take a toll on our overall health. It’s not just vision loss we should worry about – smartphones and computers pose other threats to our well-being.

Other consequences of too much screen time

• Difficulty falling and staying asleep: The blue light emitted from smart devices tricks your body into thinking it’s morning, even at night. This interruption means your body won’t produce as much melatonin, making it harder to get quality sleep.
• The strain on the neck, head, and shoulders: Have you ever noticed that your neck hurts after looking down at your smartphone? Since your head weighs roughly 11 pounds, staring down at your device puts significant pressure on your neck and shoulders. Over time, the strain can weaken muscles in your neck, possibly leading to spinal damage.
• It makes you more antisocial: When you’re absorbed in your smart device, you tend to tune out the world around you. As a result, your social relationships in real life suffer the more time you spend in a virtual world.
• Affects cognition: The more we rely on smartphones to access information, the less our brains have to “think.” Passively looking at images and text on the phone makes our brains lazy, much like watching TV.
• Increases anxiety and depression: Overwhelming evidence links the rise in smartphone use with poorer mental health. This mainly stems from the use of social media. Comparing yourself to anyone in the world and communicating with them 24/7 doesn’t bode well for mental health.

Final Thoughts: Study links increasing myopia to excessive screen time in young adults

Smartphones and tablets have their place in society, but they have also undeniably wreaked havoc on our well-being. A new study found that rising smartphone use may explain increasing myopia in teens and young children. Everywhere you look nowadays, kids and teens alike have their faces glued to screens. These devices have educational applications, but it’s not healthy to look at them for more than eight hours per day.

Not only do smartphones and tablets cause vision loss, but they also can lead to poorer mental and physical health. As a society, we need to curb our appetite for technology and spend more time in nature. This alone would help improve our vision, literally and figuratively.