Highlights
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A national survey in the US suggests that most parents overlook simple steps to protect children’s eyes; 1 in 7 parents say their child hasn’t had an eye exam in two years.
In some households, summer can mean more screen time for kids. And among the concerns that arise with children who spend more hours on digital devices, video games and televisions, and less time outdoors, damage to their eyes.
But only half of parents recognize that screen time has a big impact on their children’s eye health, suggests the National Survey on Children’s Health from CS Mott Children’s Hospital at University of Michigan Health.
“Many parents may not be aware of the short- and long-term health problems associated with excessive screen time, including its effect on children’s eyes,” said Mott Poll co-director Sarah Clark. .
"Our findings suggest that some parents may have inaccurate perceptions of activities that affect their children’s eye health and vision and how to minimize the risks."
The nationally representative report was based on responses from 2,002 parents of children ages 3 to 18 surveyed in April.
Some experts have pointed out that the combination of more screen time and less time outdoors are factors that can put children at higher risk of developing nearsightedness or nearsightedness, which can lead to serious eye problems later in life. The rate of myopia in children has increased dramatically over the past 30 years.
Research is ongoing, but studies suggest that time outdoors protects against myopia.
“Parents should encourage at least one to two hours a day outdoors because exposure to natural light benefits eye development,” Clark said.
“Parents should enforce family rules to ensure that children have a sustained period of screen-free time during the day. This is especially important during the summer months when they are out of school and may have less structured downtime.”
Some research has also indicated associations between working closely, such as reading or using a tablet, increasing the odds of nearsightedness.
“It’s an important time to think about the risks of myopia for children because children with this condition often become more nearsighted over time,” said Olivia Killeen, MD, an ophthalmologist at the UM Health Kellogg Eye Center who consulted about the report.
“The age of onset of myopia is the most significant predictor of severe myopia later in life.”
Wearing glasses to minimize risks to children’s eyes
Another overlooked area of eye health: protecting little eyes from bright sunlight.
Less than a third of parents surveyed say wearing sunglasses when outdoors has a major impact on children’s vision and eye health, and only two in five have their children wear glasses when outdoors. free.
In fact, when children are outdoors, they should wear sunglasses or wide-brimmed hats to decrease the risks of damage from ultraviolet radiation, which can contribute to eye problems in later life, Clark says.
“While parents often make sure their children’s skin is protected with sunscreen, they may not think about protecting their eyes from the sun either,” Clark said.
Many parents surveyed also skip steps that help minimize eye injuries during activities that include the risk of objects hitting the child’s eye at high speed or force, and less than a third of parents said their child wears glasses or goggles. during contact sports.
Clark recommends parents seek advice from their child’s healthcare provider to obtain safe, comfortable glasses for sports such as lacrosse, tennis, baseball and softball, and basketball.
However, most parents surveyed say children and teens wear glasses or goggles when doing activities that pose a risk of eye injuries, including working with tools and playing shooting games like Nerf guns or paintball.
After screen time, the most common factors that parents identify as affecting children’s vision and eye health are reading in low light, how close children sit to the TV/screen, diet and the blue light of screens.
“Some parents may still follow the advice of past generations about protecting children’s eyes,” Clark said. “Reading in low light or sitting near the TV may cause eye fatigue or strain, but it will not cause any permanent damage or long-term eye problems.”
Less than a third of parents say their children wear blue light-blocking glasses. While the amount of blue light does not harm the eyes, it can affect circadian rhythms and make it difficult for children to fall asleep. Experts recommend that children stop using the blue light screen at least an hour before bedtime.
Regular eye checkups to detect problems early
Four in five parents report that their child has had a vision test during a visit to the pediatrician or family doctor, while more than a quarter say their children got tested at school or at the nursery.
Most parents report that their child’s health insurance covers all or part of the cost of visits to an ophthalmologist, while 9% say it is not covered and 7% are unsure. Parents who report having no coverage for eye doctor visits are less likely than parents with full or partial coverage to say their child has seen an eye doctor in the past two years.
One in seven parents say their child has not had an eye exam or seen an ophthalmologist in the last two years.
“Children should have eye exams at least every two years to make sure their eyes are developing properly,” Clark said.
“It is important to identify and treat vision problems as early as possible, because undiagnosed problems can lead to serious eye conditions later in life, including permanent vision loss.”
Implications
This report presents the results of a nationally representative household survey conducted exclusively by Ipsos Public Affairs , LLC (Ipsos) for CS Mott Children’s Hospital. The survey was administered in April 2022 to a stratified group of randomly selected adults who were parents of at least one child ages 3 to 18 living in their household (n = 2,002). Adults were selected from Ipsos’ web-enabled KnowledgePanel ® that closely resembles the U.S. population. The sample was then weighted to reflect Census Bureau population figures. The survey completion rate was 59% among panel members contacted to participate. The margin of error for the results presented in this report is ±1 to 4 percentage points.
Protecting your children’s eye health is a responsibility that parents may not consider, but decisions about routine situations can affect a child’s vision and eye health in the short or long term. This Mott survey suggests that some parents may have inaccurate perceptions of the factors that affect their children’s eye health. The most common action taken by parents to protect their children’s eye health is to ensure adequate reading light . This reflects the advice of parents from an earlier generation . However, reading in low light may cause a feeling of eye fatigue or eye strain, but it will not cause any permanent damage or long-term eye problems.
Instead, parents should focus on areas that have the greatest impact on eye health. Most important is the total amount of screen time the child spends (TV, cell phones, and tables) and time working closely (including books or homework), which can lead to becoming more myopic. A reasonable goal for parents is to identify specific times during the day for children to be away from screens and close-up tasks. Parents should encourage at least 1-2 hours of outdoor time per day , which reduces the risk of myopia.
When children are outdoors, they should wear sunglasses and/or wide-brimmed hats to decrease the risks of damage from ultraviolet radiation, which can contribute to eye problems in later life. A more recent concern for some parents is blue light from screens. While the amount of blue light does not harm children’s eyes, it can affect circadian rhythms and make it difficult for them to fall asleep. Parents may want children to stop using the blue light screen at least 1 hour before bedtime.
Preventing eye injuries involves recognizing and minimizing potential dangers. This Mott survey indicates that many parents do not recognize the risk or do not act to prevent eye injuries during activities that involve the risk of objects hitting the child’s eye at high speed or force. For example, older children and teenagers should wear protective glasses when working with hammers, drills, or other tools, or when using lawn mowers, weed trimmers, or other outdoor equipment.
Children should wear glasses or other eye protection when using BB guns or Nerf guns, or when playing paintball or other shooting games. Parents should consider the risk of injury to their children’s eyes when playing sports with high-speed ball action, such as lacrosse, tennis, baseball and softball, and basketball. Parents can seek advice from their child’s healthcare provider or ophthalmologist to find a type of glasses that protects against injury and is comfortable to wear while playing.
Another important responsibility of parents is to ensure that their child receives regular eye exams every 1 to 2 years . For many children, vision screenings are done during well-child visits. The pediatrician or family doctor will check the child’s visual acuity and examine the movements and alignment of the child’s eyes, as well as the reflection of light in the child’s eyes, to evaluate whether both eyes are developing correctly. It is essential to identify and treat vision problems as early as possible, because undiagnosed vision problems can lead to permanent vision loss. Some children can receive vision screenings at school.
Because school vision testing varies from state to state, both in the age of the children tested and the type of test, parents should view school vision testing as useful information, but not as a substitute. of regular vision screenings with the child’s primary care provider. Parents should take their child to an optometrist or ophthalmologist if vision screening by the primary care provider or school indicates a possible problem, if they notice their child’s eyes crossing or misaligning, or if their son mentions symptoms such as blurred vision. If there is a family history of vision or eye problems, parents may consider taking their child to the ophthalmologist as a proactive approach to early identification.
