The way of learning has changed over the past year. The year 2020 remade the way children learn and has impacted their eyes. The learning couldn’t be stopped and so the only way out left was to shift to the online mode of learning. The schools shifted from physical teaching to providing online lessons at home. Because of this shift in learning, children are now spending more time in front of the screens; be it a computer screen, television screen, or mobile screen. Moreover, because of the scare of the pandemic and to follow the norm of social distancing, children aren’t going out to play and are stuck indoors. 

Impact on eyes of children during COVID-19

The way of learning has changed over the past year. The year 2020 remade the way children learn and has impacted their eyes. The learning couldn’t be stopped and so the only way out left was to shift to the online mode of learning. The schools shifted from physical teaching to providing online lessons at home. Because of this shift in learning, children are now spending more time in front of the screens; be it a computer screen, television screen, or mobile screen. Moreover, because of the scare of the pandemic and to follow the norm of social distancing, children aren’t going out to play and are stuck indoors. 

As India was slowly getting back on its usual track with all things resuming to its function, SARS-CoV-2 struck back with more power. The medical experts and professionals, the COVID heroes at their best guard are working day and night to work for us. The vaccines are being produced. Amidst the entire crisis, everyone is suffering at one end or the other. Children and the aged are in the most vulnerable position. They need precautions to remain safe and sound. 

To protect them they are locked in the homes and with being locked they have the digital world to explore exposing themselves to the screen time more. 

Parents are worried because of the increase in screen time of their children. Children are using screens now both for learning as well as for entertainment. This is affecting the eyes of the kids more than ever. 

Children are starring on screens now for a longer duration of hours which is leading to eye strain, blurry vision, and dry eyes. They today are at a higher risk of developing problems related to eyes which can be serious for their future, potentially blinding. 

There are a few tips given by the pediatric ophthalmologist experts which parents can make their children follow-

• Proper sleep-

Never let screen time interfere with your sleep time. Never compromise the sleep and give time to the screen. It can lead to tired eyes. 

Children must not be allowed to keep the devices in their bedrooms while they are at sleep. This is because they might be tempted to use their device before sleeping and the blue light that is emitted from the screen makes it hard for them to fall asleep. The devices should be turned off an hour before bedtime. This helps in sleeping faster. This is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

• Exercise-

One must not avoid exercising a day. You must encourage the children to devote some time to exercise as it will make them concentrate on different objects and take them away from the emission of the harmful blue light emitted from the screens. 

• Take breaks in between-

The American Optometric Association suggests the 20/20/20 rule. The rule says that- an individual must look away from the screen every 20 minutes, focus on an object for 20 seconds which is at least 20 feet away. 

For this, a timer can be put after every hour so that the child puts down the screen for at least 10 minutes. 

• Blinking helps-

To prevent dryness in the eyes, remind your child to blink their eyes often. Putting eye drops or a room humidifier can also soothe dry eyes. 

• Position of the screen-

The screen on which the child is working should be slightly below the eye level. The eyes dry out quickly when you look up. There is also a suggestion by the experts on this. 

They suggest a rule- 1/2/10. This rule says that the smartphones should be positioned 1 foot away from the eyes, laptops or desktops 2 feet away and the television screens should be around 10 feet away from your eyes. 

• Brightness-

Decrease your screen’s brightness. Also do not let the lamplight, the light from the windows, or the light from any overhead fixtures directly shine on the screen. 

• Do not rub your eyes-

Almost every child has the habit of rubbing their eyes. The parents must prohibit this habit of seldom rubbing their eyes. They can sprinkle water or used some clean cloth to soothe them but avoid rubbing because if the hands are dirty, they might be unknowingly putting dirty elements in their eyes. 

We generally do not pay much regard to our eyes but they are the windows to the soul. We gain 80% of the knowledge through our eyes only.

Over use of digital devices and putting them through stress and exposure to the light weakens them.

The care of our eyes is also described in the ancient ayurvedic texts. Here are a few tips ayurvedic tips to keep the eyes healthy and the improvement of vision-

• Splash water –

Ayurveda recommends that while you wash your face in the morning, hold some water in your mouth and splash water on the eyes. This makes your eyes feel fresh.

• Ghee lamp-

Prepare a small bowl of ghee and place a cotton wick in it. Light the wick and gaze at the flame keeping yourself at a distance of two or three feet away for a minute or two without blinking.

This is a traditional Ayurvedic eye care method known to improve the lustrous quality of the eyes.

• Goat milk to reduce strain-

Dip cotton balls in the milk of goat and put them on the eyes. It is another Ayurvedic method to relieve eye strain.

• Castor oil-

Use castor oil without any preservatives. Put a drop of castor oil in each eye and also rub some oil on the sole of your feet each time before going to bed.

You will feel fresh and have a brighter vision.

• Cucumber slices-

Most of us are known to this method. Cucumbers are known for their anti-irritation properties and help in reducing inflammation, puffiness and swelling. Put cucumber slices on to the eyes for about 20 minutes and you shall feel the freshness and coolness.

Just as we can hope for the situations to get better, we also hope that this does not affect the health of the children, especially the eyes. The learning process shouldn’t be stopped but with that, the necessary precautions can always be taken. 

Staying wise, healthy, and alert during these critical times is the only solution.