Myopia risk in children with screen addiction

Ophthalmologist Prof. Dr. Burak Bilgin provided information on eye disorders frequently seen in children, explaining their causes, prevention methods, and treatments. He noted that complaints of myopia (the inability to see clearly at a distance) have increased in school-aged and preschool-aged children, particularly due to intense screen addiction, and issued a warning to families.

"Extensive exposure to digital environments threatens eye health, and myopia complaints are increasing."

Ophthalmologist Prof. Dr. Burak Bilgin stated that children's intense exposure to technological devices today poses a serious threat to their eye health. "Due to the increase in digital environments and intense exposure to devices like phones, tablets, and televisions," he said, "we frequently see nearsightedness, a refractive error that prevents us from seeing clearly at a distance. During this period, we see nearsightedness in most of our children. However, we also see children with hyperopia, which can lead to strabismus. There can be subtle or overt deviations, and amblyopia."

"Close visual stimuli affect children with a genetic predisposition more"

Professor Dr. Burak Bilgin, noting that children with a genetic predisposition are more affected by near-sightedness, said, "We group these devices as near-sightedness. These devices could be tablets, phones, televisions, or other near-sightedness activities. These increase the susceptibility to myopia. Studies haven't shown this to be a direct cause, but it has been clearly demonstrated in children with a predisposition. In children with a genetic predisposition, focusing near or engaging in near-sightedness activities can cause myopia."

Prevention methods and warning to families

Bilgin, discussing what to do to prevent discomfort and issuing warnings to families, said, "To protect against discomfort, we recommend ensuring the environment is well-lit, avoiding too much close-up visuals, and maintaining a balance in these areas by engaging in close-knit activities. Because we can't avoid technology. Of course, we can't tell families to 'don't give them technology or look at it too much,' but it's crucial to keep everything under control. These things will inevitably happen, but they need to be controlled. They shouldn't be excessive. Families can be flexible about how they use these devices."