Between watching TV, spending time on cellphones, and using laptops for school, kids are spending a lot of time on screens these days and research has shown that can cause issues for their eyes.
Eye doctors say kids who spend a lot of time on screens may also experience "digital eye strain" – which can cause headaches, a dry eye feeling, and blurry vision. Ideally, the best way to treat that is by cutting down on screen time. However, if that's not possible, doctors recommend using the 20-20-20 rule. For every 20 minutes of screen time, you give your eyes a 20-second break and try to look 20 feet away.
"Other things you could do depending on how severe your symptoms are trying to remember to blink, which can be hard to remind yourself to blink. But even just resting your eyes, closing them for a few seconds can help. Some people do use artificial tears to help re-lubricate their eyes. Usually, you don't have to do that if you can take enough breaks and limit the screen time," said Dr. Allison Babiuch, Cleveland Clinic.
Doctor Babiuch says the good news is that symptoms related to digital eye strain are all temporary and shouldn't cause any long-term side effects. If your child's vision problems persist, you should talk to an eye doctor.
