Half the world will need specs if screen time is not reduced

EXCESSIVE screen time boosts the risk of short-sightedness by 80 per cent, a study has found.

Researchers have discovered high levels of phone or tablet use is linked to a 30 per cent higher risk of myopia. But when it is combined with excessive computer use, the higher risk of shortsightedness rises to about 80 per cent.

The study, published in The Lancet, pointed out that half the world could need glasses within 30 years because of young people staring at screens.

By 2050, five billion people could be short-sighted. The authors examined more than 3,000 studies investigating smart device exposure and myopia in children and young adults aged between three months and 33 years old.

In 2019, the World Health Organisation recommended under twos should not have any screen time and the under fives should have no more than one hour of sedentary screen time daily.

But in the same year, a Censuswide survey of 2,000 British families found children were spending an average of 23 hours a week staring at screens.

Prof Rupert Bourne, of the Vision and Eye Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “Around half the global population is expected to have myopia by 2050, so it is a health concern that is escalating quickly. Our study is the most comprehensive yet on this issue and shows a potential link between screen time and myopia in young people.

“Our children have been spending more time than ever looking at screens for long periods, due to school closures, and urgent research is needed to understand how exposure to digital devices can affect our eyes and vision.

“People underestimate their own screen time, so future studies should use objective measures to capture this information.”