Does your phone's vision deteriorate? Tablet, smartphone and TV. What is more dangerous for a child's vision? Does a tablet ruin children's eyesight?

Pasha is three years old, of which he spent at least one year glued to the screen of his mother’s tablet, watching cartoons and playing with toys. Pasha’s grandmother prophesies that he will soon become blind, but a recent examination by an ophthalmologist showed that Pasha’s eyes can only be envied, and the doctor recommended the judicious use of gadgets and eye exercises.

Vova is also three years old, he, like Pasha, spends most of the day having fun with the help of gadgets. However, a couple of weeks ago, after a check-up, the doctor advised to sharply reduce the time spent watching cartoons and playing games on the tablet - such activities can provoke the development of myopia due to the structural features of Vova’s eyes.

Ophthalmologist Svetlana Bogacheva explains that modern gadgets cannot be considered unequivocally harmful to children's eyes - they have a different effect on the vision of each child, and sometimes even benefit!

— With amblyopia (a condition in which vision is reduced in both eyes or one eye sees worse than the other), we are faced with the task of making the “lazy” eye work. To do this, it is recommended that children tape up the eye that sees better, and at this time give the “lazy” eye active visual stimulation (assemble mosaics, puzzles, draw). Watching cartoons or playing on a tablet can become one of the auxiliary (but not the main!) elements of such therapy - at a minimum, they will help the child brighten up the time spent with a glued eye, and at maximum, they will turn treatment procedures into interesting activities that they will want to continue.

The opposite situation also happens, when the optics of a child’s eye are such that excessive loads at close range will quickly “pull” the eye into myopia, and therefore interaction with gadgets should be kept to a minimum. But this doesn’t mean it’s time to throw away the tablet or hide it from your child! Gadgets are an integral part of modern life. In the future, children will use them for school, work, and even now they may come in handy, for example, during an airplane flight or in a long, tedious line. Our task is to change your lifestyle by including simple rules to minimize the negative impact of gadgets and preserve your eyesight: when playing on a tablet, regularly take breaks to do eye exercises, choose the right body position, and observe moderation. Remember that excessive consumption of cartoons and games not only hurts the eyes, but also has a negative impact on the psycho-emotional state - however, this is a question for doctors of other specialties.

A question that is appropriate to ask an ophthalmologist during a routine preventive examination is: how will the passion for a tablet affect your child’s vision specifically? You can get recommendations for preserving and improving vision, as well as motivation to implement them, at a consultation with an ophthalmologist at Svetlana Bogacheva’s clinic!

Despite the constant development of new technologies, their creators have not yet learned to minimize the negative impact of tablet computers on human vision, and especially on fragile vision. Sure, a tablet can lead to mild pain, but the extent of its impact depends solely on the amount of time spent with the tablet, as well as the type of its display.

Today, most tablet computers are equipped with a TFT display, which belongs to the category of liquid crystal screens.

TFT displays are different in that they glow, but do not reflect light, and do not have a negative effect on vision. The brightness of these displays can be adjusted in such a way that the difference between the TFT display and the picture on displays with a surface that reflects light is practically indistinguishable. In fact, when using a tablet computer, the user receives an almost real sheet of paper with letters printed on it.

Tablet: can it harm your eyesight?

TFT displays have an interpixel grid that forms an image with gaps between elements - and the visibility of this grid depends solely on the resolution of the tablet. Its presence at low resolution forces the user to strain his eyesight, which, when spending a long time tablet computer may negatively affect its sharpness. When using a tablet with children and teenagers, you need to make sure that they look up from the display every ten to fifteen minutes, giving their vision a little rest.

To prevent the tablet from affecting your visual acuity, you should hold it at arm's length when working, not bringing it too close to your eyes.

In addition, it is not recommended to set the brightness on a tablet computer to high levels, which will tire your eyes. Also, when working with a tablet, you should take breaks every forty minutes, switching to another activity. To reduce the likelihood of vision deterioration to a minimum, it is recommended to purchase tablet computers equipped with an “AMOLED” display, in which there is no inter-pixel grid, and the brightness and contrast ranges are very high. In addition, unlike TFT displays, AMOLED displays allow you to adjust the brightness for comfortable, glare-free work with a tablet computer in the shade, even on a very sunny day.

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There are no rules. Do as you please

I would like the question about gadgets and computers not to be asked at all at my reception. However, it is difficult to convince parents. They want to discuss exactly what they consider important, what worries them. And then they are ready to listen to the doctor’s opinion.

Contrary to parents' fears, it is to a very small extent associated with an increase in myopia (myopia) in children. One child’s vision will not deteriorate at all, while another may develop severe myopia over time. Here, universal recommendations are basically not suitable.

Where then do recommendations come from with exact standards, at what age and how much time a child can spend before? It is desirable that they be based on the results of properly designed and conducted studies. But doctors often present their ideas about the problem as reliable data.

The screen is given too much attention, and all these rules exist so that those who like to create rules do not feel out of place. There are really no rules. There are ways to make working at a computer more comfortable. If the monitor is too high, it will be a little more difficult for the eye to blink and it may become a little more tired. For the rest, do as you feel comfortable.

Anyone can take away a tablet

According to the results of recent research, another factor is much more important for children's eyes - the time the child spends outside. The longer he plays and plays sports in the fresh air, the less chance he has of developing myopia.. This is what the pediatric ophthalmologist should inform parents about.

Children with myopia spent less time outdoors, had lower vitamin D levels and a relatively high body mass index, and were less likely to exercise than children without vision problems. That is, gadgets are not worthy of attention in this aspect; the child’s lifestyle is much more important, which in no way depends on whether he is myopic or not.

Anyone can take it. But going for a bike ride or ice skating with your child is more difficult. And by the way, there is no proven difference between paper and electronic media. Another thing is that books may be of less interest to children.

Exercise machines, vitamins and massages do not work. Forget it

You can endlessly list the remedies and prescriptions that will not help in any way with the prevention or treatment of progressive myopia. And very quickly say what needs to be done.

Eye trainers and massages don't work. None, not even the “best”. Even carrots and blueberries. Without “if” or other reservations. Forget it.

Eye exercises are not effective for children with myopia, but may provide a temporary effect in cases of convergence insufficiency. In this condition, the child is unable to keep his eyes slightly drawn toward his nose when focusing on a nearby text. Because of this, the eyes quickly get tired, and they may even see double.

Very often, convergence insufficiency is not diagnosed, and parents are told that their vision is good. However, the child gets tired, and these problems are still related to the eyes. So the only case where eye gymnastics might be effective is if you have convergence insufficiency.

In most cases, myopia is not treated at all.

What works? If we are talking about prevention, then we need to increase the time spent outside. Also there is a connection between the number of sunny days in a child’s life and the risk of myopia.

If we are talking about treatment, then in most cases myopia is not treated at all. That is, both the doctor and the patient agree to accept that myopia will increase slightly and stop by the age of 18 or a little later. This is justified because myopia usually does not increase to a high degree.

However, if the goal is to slow down the progression of myopia, then you can use methods that have shown their effectiveness in clinical studies. These include low-dose atropine and orthokeratology contact lenses.

Students must sit where the teacher wants them to sit.

There is still a belief among parents that a child with myopia needs to be able to “see everything.” However he doesn’t really need any “special conditions” in the classroom.

Previously, children were actually prescribed glasses that were not fully corrected, so they could not see very far with glasses. It was wrong to do this, but it is understandable why such children needed to sit in the first row.

Now, in most cases, ophthalmologists prescribe glasses with good correction to young patients, so that they can sit where they see fit. Exceptions are children who suffer from a condition that cannot be corrected with glasses and contact lenses, or those who are prescribed atropine to treat progressive myopia. They, of course, will be better off at the first desk. There are myths about glasses; they try to put them on children as late as possible. Why? There are as many versions as there are parents: “Let the eyes work on their own,” “They will begin to get lazy,” “Vision will begin to decline.”

Spectacle correction does not affect the growth of myopia. She makes the child's life more comfortable. Even very young children need to be prescribed glasses so that they can see everything (why are they worse than others?).

In addition, glasses can prevent the development of lazy eye syndrome (“amblyopia”), in cases where the optics of the eye do not provide a clear image of the surrounding world on the retina. The development of vision in one or both eyes is suspended, whereas normally vision development occurs from the moment of birth. However, this more often applies to the situation with farsightedness and astigmatism.

By the way, not only glasses, but also contact lenses make children’s lives more comfortable. How do you know which is better? Consult a doctor and ask the child himself; his desire plays an important role.

The tablet has a fairly large display, so it allows you to easily work with various multimedia applications, texts, and in addition it has access to the Internet and provides communication with other people. It’s unlikely that anyone will argue that this is quite convenient electronic device, but many people are interested in how it affects vision?

What damage can a tablet cause to your eyesight?

Tablet use can negatively affect your vision under the following conditions:

1. If a person looks at the tablet screen for a long time, then in this case the eyes will become very tired from DC voltage. The screen of this device is not very large and therefore a person has to look closely at the objects on the screen. In addition, the eyes constantly focus at the same distance, and this is not normal, because in ordinary life, a person looks around, as well as at objects located at different distances. In addition, when a person looks at the tablet screen for a long time, he forgets to blink, as a result of which the mucous membrane of the eye is poorly moisturized, resulting in unpleasant symptoms such as a burning sensation and tearfulness. Of course, all these factors have a detrimental effect on vision. To avoid possible problems, you need to take breaks as often as possible so that your eyes don’t get tired.
2. If you bring the tablet screen too close to your eyes, myopia may occur, especially for children. To avoid this, you need to purchase a tablet with a large screen diagonal so that you can see everything. You should also increase the font and page scale in the browser.
3. If you read in the dark with the display brightness level at maximum, you can really seriously harm your eyes. Vision deteriorates, eyes quickly get tired and begin to water. You need to read only in good lighting, and if you still want to read a book in the dark, then you need to set the screen brightness to the minimum level, then your eyes will not get too tired. But it is best to read e-books on special readers with an “e-ink” screen, then the harm to the eyes will be minimal.

Almost all children hold the tablet close to their eyes, and this can lead to myopia. Do not give your child a tablet for half a day, for a maximum of half an hour. In any case, it will be better for him if he develops in the real world, and not in the virtual one.

Let's skip the lecture on how important it is to maintain the ability to see clearly - let the eye specialists do that. We'll talk about the effect of a tablet on vision.

I often have to work with a tablet. Basically, I read articles on various resources, watch videos on YouTube, so I know from my own experience what’s what. I also read reviews from people who directly use tablets. And of course, I got acquainted with the conclusions of smart guys in white coats. Some say that a tablet is evil, others say that it all depends on how you use the device. And there is also a contingent of people who, foaming at the mouth, claim that it’s all about the matrix and screen resolution, and the cooler both are, the better for vision.

So is a tablet harmful to your eyesight? Let's be realistic and not go too far. Nowadays, absolutely everything is harmful. Even products are harmful, and it doesn’t matter whether they were bought at the market or grown in your own garden - everything has long been genetically modified, or poisoned by industrial waste, or treated with pesticides and other dirty tricks. But this does not mean at all that we stopped eating and began to feed on the sun’s rays (by the way, they are now also harmful).

Tablets themselves do not and cannot affect vision. Tablet displays are not affected either.

1. You look at your tablet for a very long time. The eyes get tired from constant tension, because the display is not as big as the objects on it. At the same time, the eyes focus for a long time at a certain distance, whereas in the normal rhythm of life we ​​look around, at objects that are at at different distances from U.S. Also, when a person stares at the screen for a long time, he “forgets” to blink. Because of this, the mucous membrane of the eyes becomes dry and insufficiently moisturized. All this taken together has a detrimental effect on vision.

2. You hold the tablet very close to your eyes. Usually children can do this, it is unknown why. Adults do this if the display is small and they can hardly see anything on it. You can’t do this, it develops myopia, especially in children.

Recommendations: increase the font, icons, page scale in the browser. Better yet, buy a tablet with a larger screen so you can see all the elements without straining or holding the tablet too close to your eyes.

3. You are reading in the dark or in poor lighting, and the display brightness level is set to the maximum level on the tablet. This is very very bad. In this situation, vision decreases very quickly, the eyes get tired and begin to water.

Recommendations: Read in good room lighting. If you still need to read/study on your tablet with the lights off, set the display brightness to the minimum level that will allow you to see the content comfortably, but the backlight will not put pressure on your eyes. And even better - use electronic readers with a “paper” screen “e-ink” for reading, i.e. on electronic ink.

So is it possible to give tablets to children?

It's possible, why not? Just understand this thing - you can’t leave your child alone with a tablet for half a day. Yes, he will be interested, but he will hold the tablet very close to his eyes (or he will stay close to the device due to its inability to lift). And this is a direct bullet to myopia. So the child should develop not only with the help of a tablet. Let him live real life, and still have time to plunge into the world of technology.