CHINANIMATION
Myopic kids, short-sighted parents!
A doctor got the shock of his life when he found that his two-year-old Chinese patient was shortsighted, to a thousand degrees. The myopic girl had got the disorder after playing for long hours on her parents’ smartphones. Myopia has taken epidemic proportions in the country with a huge number of children becoming near-sighted because of inordinately long hours on tablets, computers and smartphones. Shortsightedness is caused by lack of natural light and long hours on mobile devices. Smartphones and iPads have become parents’ convenient tools to entertain their children. In restaurants, shopping malls and hospitals, parents hand over children their smartphones to watch videos or play games – to keep them occupied lest they are fidgety. Keeping children distracted so they stay quiet should not come at the cost of their health. Doctors suggest instead of letting children spend time on mobile devices, parents should take part in outdoor activities with their kids – two hours a day under the open sky is optimum.