Gadget dilemma: digital eye strain
Step into any classroom and it's clear to see that technology has taken over. Textbooks have been replaced by iPads, and chalkboards have been replaced by smart boards.
"I think the new technology really has enhanced what teachers can do in the classroom, what students can do," said Dr. Tina McCarty of the Eye Care Center in Maple Grove.
The technology is impressive, to say the least, but Dr. McCarty says the constant exposure to the blue light emitted from computer screens can impact a student's vision.
"Well what we have learned is that blue light can cause fatigue," Dr. McCarty said. "It can cause eye strain and blurred vision, to have short attention span, eye strain, headaches."
She says because the technology is so new, doctors are still learning about the short and long-term effects.
"The biggest concern for a long-term effect on the eye is the enhancement on the development of age-related macular degeneration," Dr. McCarty said. "That's a disease that develops over decades of time and is very difficult to research in the short term."
20/20/20 rule
All that said, the increased use of digital devices in classrooms doesn't exactly mean doom and gloom is ahead.
"Well there is something that the American Optometric Association recommends called the 20/20/20 rule, and every 20 minutes, if you take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away and focus on that just to give your eyes a break is one tip," Dr. McCarty said.
Another tip is to schedule a comprehensive eye exam annually to find out whether the smart phones and tablets are causing any eye problems.
"Before school preferably, but once a school year just to make sure that any of those problems are identified so there's nothing in the way that can protect or inhibit that child from learning at their best," Dr. McCarty said.
If a child is diagnosed with eye issues related to digital devices, there are lenses on the market that can help decrease the amount of blue light that gets into the eye. For a less extreme measure, doctors recommend shutting off digital devices at home about an hour before bedtime.
Delane Cleveland
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