Eye health of children and Impact of Gadgets on Eyes

My child watches too much of TV continuously. Will it damage his eye sight

Dear Manas,

There is no proof that watching too much TV causes development or increase in power of glasses

Hi doctor. But along with TV he also uses mobile , ipad . We are worried about his eyes.

Also we have a history of wearing specs .

The genetic factors are much more important in development of poor vision

excessive use of ipads, mobiles does put strain on eye muscles which reduces the accuracy of the test that is used to detect the power of the eyes.

Could you please elaborate on this .

Which means that everytime u get the vision checked, make sure that it is relaxed conditions and the child hasn't had too much of near activities

During exam time or if the chilkd has been doiong a lot of near activities, the vision checkup usually shows a false myopia

this 'strain' effect can be nullified by putting eye drops to "dilate" the eyes

This gives a much more accurate reading.

How regular should be the checkups. right now we get his eyes checked once quarter.

How regular should be the checkups. right now we get his eyes checked once quarter.

a short cut in this process and the child can end up with glasses with a higher that required power

what is the age of the child?

Dear Manas,

Hi Dr Sameer, I have a 15 year old daughter who wears specs... is lasix a good option

Dear Manas,

he is 7 yrs

dear manas, at 5 years of age, once an year checkup is good enough

Once he gets his pubertal growth spurt, u can increase the frequency to once every 6 months

Dear Neha,m

lasik is out of question at 15 years.

wait till 18 years of age

A doctor told me that crystal clear vision will not come with Lasix and instead advised a surgery ICL... intraocular contact lens

for any refractive surgery, u have to wait till the power is stable which usually happens by around 18-20 years of age

ICL is used for patients who are not fit for lasik surgery

ok... but she gets embarrassed by her specs when she is going for weddings etc.. is there something I can do

ok... but she gets embarrassed by her specs when she is going for weddings etc.. is there something I can do

contact lenses is the best option as of now

ok. also is there some exercise or food she can eat that will boost her eyesight

Dear Neha, if it just an occasional use like weddings etc, daily disposable lenses are the safest as these are just for one time use

There is no food or exercise that can reduce the power of glasses

Vitamin A rich food is required for a normal eye functioning. But overdose of any nutrient is of no use and be counterproductive.

also Dr Sameer, when I was young my father used to tell me not to read while lying down. Now I tell my daughter the same thing. Is this true. what should be her position while reading books

A normal balanced diet has enough Vitamin A to take care of basic requirements of the body

Dear Neha,

When we read or watch TV while lying down, the rotatory muscles of the eyes have to work much harder to compensate for the change on the position of the body

These are the weakest muscles of the eyes and thus get tired earlier

thanks a lot doctor. this interaction was helpful.

it is not that doing these activities induce or increase the power of ur glasses, but the eye muscles get tired faster

so what is the best position to read that will not strain the eyes

The same logic applies to "using good light while reading" and "not watching TV in dim light"

also what is the ideal distance between TV and us...

the important criteria would be, sitting position, head straight, book 25 - 35 cm away, good lighting from back or left side. For computer users, the top of the screen should be at eye level. too low and it will put more strain on the neck, too high and it will cause strain on the eyes

My son has been diagnosed with problem in his tear glands his tear gland does not produce tears. please suggest

For TV, things are very variable and depend on the screen size, resolution, lighting etc.

It is a small room... 8x8 ft and with an LCD 42 inches.. there is only one source of natural light. the rest is tubelight

Dear Rajat, Mild dry eyes is a very common problem. as mentioned previously, it increases with excessive screen time. This type of dry eyes is usually evaporative in nature and happens because of decreased blinking.

@rajat - reduced tear gland production is usually related to diseases / drugs which needs to be evaluated by ur paediatrician

Is there a natural way of helping my son as i do not want to put eye drops daily in his eyes? pls help

@neha - 8 x 8 feet is a little small for a 42 inch especially for standard definition TV. May be appropriate for HD content. It may not matter if u restrict the screen time for prolonged watching it may put strain on eye muscles

@rajat - increased omega 3 fatty acids from diet or supplements may help. Treating the underlying disease if possible. reducing exposure to anything that aggravates dryness

Hi Dr Sameer, someone told me that sunglasses are required for even small children. I have a 25 year old daughter. should I buy one for her

@neha - if the child is watching TV from close distance, it usually means that the child is having vision problem and is helping himself by coming a little nearer.

how should I choose sunglasses for her

@nishi - It is NOT mandatory to give sunglasses to children unless u feel that they are or are likely to get exposed to excessive sunlight

@nishi - most good branded sun glasses have good UVA blockage with decent UVB protection. Amber coloured sunglasses cause the least reduction in intensity of light compared to the protection level

Thank you, for any further query please write to helpdesk@parentune. com

My daughter has squint in her left eye but it is intermittent when she becomes unmindful or seeing some thing at distance her left eys goes outside,is there any treatment without operation. Actually I want to ask you is it curable by eye mussel exercise or proper diet

Hi My 8yrs old son watches Television a lot and after some time his eyes become red. We showed him to a doctor, They have advised that its becoz of Dust alergy, and advised him to wash his eyes with mild soap every 2hrs. should i consult another doctor. kindly advice. Regards Hima