Summer Screen Time Causing Eye Strain

School has been let out for the summer and if the month of July is anything like the month of June in Indiana we can expect HOT days and stormy nights.  Summer days for many kids are full of afternoons at the pool, playing outside, playing video games, and watching movies.  Days full of fun!

But too much fun can have harmful effects such as sunburn, cuts and bruises, and from inside play like with video or computer games possible eye strain.  Video games are definitely a crowd pleaser among kids as they are typically interactive, molded to a player’s preferences, skill based, and can spark the imagination to a fantasy world by just the click of a button.  Too much “screen” time though can cause eye strain which can be induced by poor posture and lighting in a room as well as the extended time staring at a screen.

Eye strain according to ehow.com includes symptoms such as eye dryness, sore or itchy sensations, sensitivity to light, and blurred or double vision.  Children and adults alike are prone to symptoms such as these from staring at TV or computer screens for long periods of time, yet children’s increasingly excessive screen time use (peaking in the summer months) makes them much more prone to this kind of eye strain.  The recommended screen time use specifically for video games is one hour with breaks within the hour to avert eyes away from the screen to focus on something else. Taking these breaks will help reduce eye strain symptoms and possibly eye strain all together.

Best cures for eye strain?  Get up and go outside!  If inside, board games, books, arts and crafts can keep kids occupied with less focus on screens that cause the eye strain.  Visit an eye center.  By visiting an eye care doctor and getting an eye examination, eye strain can be reduced if glasses or contacts are needed and eyes can be checked to ensure proper sight for future video games and the other fun activities summer brings.  Also coming in for an eye exam this month ensures that once school begins again your student not only see’s properly at home with homework and fun video games but inside the classroom.