While digital devices are essential to daily life, the adverse health effects of excessive screen time cannot be overstated.
For instance, research shows that screen time can negatively impact children’s cognitive development.
According to the same study, there is a correlation between too much screen use and lower white matter integrity in the brain, which could affect children’s language and literacy skills.
However, besides cognitive problems, excessive digital device use is also associated with ocular conditions such as myopia or nearsightedness.
Estimates show that in the United States alone, more than 40% of the population has myopia. Preventive measures are, therefore, essential given the impact of prolonged screen time.
One way to do this is by wearing glasses and other vision correction tools. But in the digital age, when devices and applications are increasingly becoming more integrated into peoples’ lives, what else can you do to maximize protection from myopia?
Below, we look at the link between digital devices and myopia and why you need glasses (and more) when using mobile apps.
Understanding Myopia And Digital Device Use
Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, is a vision problem that causes distant objects to look blurry.
It occurs when the eyeball becomes elongated, or the cornea becomes too curved, which prevents the light entering the eye from bending properly.
As a result, the light isn’t focused correctly on the retina, leading to blurry distant vision. Wearing the proper vision correction tools, like glasses with concave lenses, can help eye muscles relax and prevent straining, especially when using mobile apps at a close distance.
Studies also show that glasses can help slow down myopia progression when doing near-vision work.
Global cases of myopia are rising. The World Health Organization estimates that around a third of people worldwide were nearsighted in 2020, and projections show that around 3.4 billion people will have myopia by 2030.
In 2050, it is estimated that around half of the global population will be nearsighted. A World Economic Forum report also mentioned myopia as a common cause of vision impairment and the second leading cause of blindness.
Given these numbers, wearing glasses becomes essential when using mobile devices and apps, especially with the established correlation between device use and myopia progression.
Research published in ScienceDirect found that prolonged use of digital smart devices is associated with myopia.
The eyeballs elongate when the eyes become too focused on nearby objects like smartphones, increasing the risk of nearsightedness.
Near-vision activities like scrolling through mobile apps like X (formerly Twitter) and watching videos on YouTube and TikTok, coupled with insufficient time spent outdoors, may also exacerbate myopia progression.
This, in turn, can make it more difficult for people to see distant objects like grocery store markers and road signs. This highlights the need for tools like glasses to help readers use digital devices without compromising their eye health.
Tools To Prevent Myopia While Using Apps
Studies show that 70% of media time consumption in the US comes from the use of mobile apps, which can increase the risks of myopia development and progression.
For older adults especially, who may struggle with near-vision activities, wearing reading glasses with multifocal lenses while using apps can prevent that from happening, as these corrective lenses help the ocular muscles relax.
These lenses also provide clear vision at a wide range of distances, preventing issues like eye strain. Eye experts can recommend the right strength of reading glasses for excessive screen use and myopia prevention.
Aside from glasses, there are other vision correction tools that you can use while using mobile apps to help prevent myopia from developing or worsening.
Research shows that contact lenses can also help slow down myopia progression. Like glasses, multifocal contacts can help light focus directly on the retina, and the center portion of these lenses provides precise distance vision.
These contacts enable clear vision at varying distances to help improve visual acuity and prevent eye strain during extended digital device use.
Wearing these corrective lenses thus ensures comfort while using your phone – whether you’re doomscrolling, gaming, or watching videos.
Accessing your mobile apps’ accessibility features can also help ease vision issues. You can change the font sizes on popular social media apps like Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter) for a better browsing experience.
Simply click the accessibility tab, click display, and then adjust font sizes. Meanwhile, iOS devices also have a visual health feature that warns you if you’re holding your device too close to your face, which can remind you to move your gadget at a healthy distance.
Activating that feature can help prevent eye strain while using your mobile apps, and the larger fonts help you see more clearly at a safe distance, eliminating the need to place your device too close to your face, which can cause nearsightedness.
Studies have established a link between excessive use of digital devices and myopia. Fortunately, using glasses and other helpful tools can help offset and prevent nearsightedness’s effects.
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