A question I get asked all day, every day, is how much our digital device harms my child’s eyes. As we know, digital device use has become pervasive in our society, and our children simply can’t avoid screen time. We’re on our phones, tablets, computers, TV X, and DVD players in the car, so our kids are often exposed to screens. I always tell my patients that our eyes were designed for hunting mammoths and not for staring at screens. I say that jokingly, but our eyes were designed for hunting and gathering and not to stare at tiny 4-inch screens inches from our faces.
When we look up close, our eyes have to work hard. Those muscles have to crank in and maintain an exhausting effort. Think of the analogy of picking up a 1-pound weight in the morning with your arm- early in the morning, your bicep thinks this task is effortless. Still, you continue to hold that 1-pound weight all day long, and your muscles are fatigued by the end of the day. The same thing is happening with our focusing muscles. The other thing to remember about looking at near – we optometrists call that “near point” – is that it also requires aiming skills. Fifty percent of our time should be spent focusing, and 50% of our time should be spent aiming. Suppose you spend 80% of your effort focusing because of the near-point stress. In that case, there’s not enough muscular energy left to aim your eyes, and this can lead to problems with reading speed, comprehension, missed words, and skipping lines. It can actually lead to learning difficulties.
We have kids in our practices who have been diagnosed with ADHD or dyslexia. They have visual ocular motor deficiencies, eye teaming, or eye focusing problems. If you suspect your child is having a learning issue, speak with your school resource counselor to rule out any psychological, neurological, or health problems that could be underlying problems, but don’t forget to bring your child in for a comprehensive eye exam so that we can check their eye teaming, depth perception, eye alignment, and focusing ability. Sometimes it can be that simple.