Thursday, January 7, 2010

Abstract: Children, computers and eyes

This caught my eye, and not just because I used to live in Thessaloniki. With dry eye, including severe dry eye, occurring more and more in young people it is certainly high time to be looking into the long term effects of things people start doing as kids that affect the ocular surfaces, including contacts and computer use.

Impact of computer use on children's vision.
Hippokratia. 2009 Oct;13(4):230-1.
Kozeis N.
Paediatric Eye Unit, Eye Dept, Hippokratio Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Today, millions of children use computers on a daily basis. Extensive viewing of the computer screen can lead to eye discomfort, fatigue, blurred vision and headaches, dry eyes and other symptoms of eyestrain. These symptoms may be caused by poor lighting, glare, an improper work station set-up, vision problems of which the person was not previously aware, or a combination of these factors. Children can experience many of the same symptoms related to computer use as adults. However, some unique aspects of how children use computers may make them more susceptible than adults to the development of these problems. In this study, the most common eye symptoms related to computer use in childhood, the possible causes and ways to avoid them are reviewed.

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