Online classes spark surge in eye ailments in UP's Prayagraj

PRAYAGRAJ: Online classes sessions seem to have left adverse impact on the eye-sight of children in Sangam city. Majority of children aged between 6 to 18 years are approaching city based ophthalmologists, and complaining about convergence efficiency, computer vision syndrome and reflective errors and other eye sight problems.
As children are spending adequate time on computers screen and smart phones for online class as schools are shut due to the Covid-19 pandemic, noted ophthalmologists rued that due to long hours studies on computers\laptops and smart phones, over 40 percent children have complained various eye and vision related problems.
Noted eye surgeon, Dr. Atul Kumar Dubey told TOI that “ Majority of children are diagnosed with Convergence insufficiency as they are unable to work together when looking at nearby objects. This condition causes one eye to turn outward instead of inward with the other eye, creating double or blurred vision. Children working long hours on computers and smart phones usually complain itching or burning in eyes, watering, dementia of vision, head and eye -ache” added Dr. Dubey. He also added that convergence insufficiency is diagnosed in school-age children when they are attending online classes for long sessions.
Secondly, many students are also diagnosed with computer vision syndrome following increase usage of computers .There is a correlation between ocular symptoms such as pain, redness, dryness, blurring of vision, double vision and other head and neck sprains. Besides, cases of reflective errors in terms of myopia and hypermetropia have also surfaced among children.
Dr..Dubey, meanwhile advised three main exercises including reducing screen times on TV\Computer\laptops and smartphones, 20-20-20 rule ( every 20 minutes spent using a screen, you should try to look away at something that is 20 feet away from you for a total of 20 seconds) and eye related exercise like pencil push-up exercise, cat card exercise and convergence eye exercises.
The fact is that the ministry of human resource development (MHRD) has recommended screen timings for student of various age groups or classes. But children apart from studies hours, spend their adequate timing on smart phones and TV sets causing weaknesses in eye mussles and developing vision related problems.
Salori resident, AK Tripathi said “About my two children in Class 8 and XIth at a private school in city, children spent adequate time on desktop and have developed vision problems. When I consulted eye surgeon, my both of children have developed strains in their eyes and they also complain dryness, and head-ache’.
Doctors in the city too claimed more cases of children with complaints of eye strain are coming to them. “At least three or four people come in every day to get their children’s eyes tested because of increased screen time. Besides , sales of eye wear have also jumped mainfolds in markets.