A recent analysis of 45 studies involving over 335,000 participants indicates that each additional hour of screen time correlates with a 21% increased likelihood of developing myopia in children and adolescents. With predictions suggesting that 40% of the global youth population could be myopic by 2050, experts advocate for reduced screen time and more outdoor activities. The researchers found a steep increase in risk as daily screen exposure rises, with a staggering 97% increased risk for four hours of screen time daily, highlighting the importance of managing device usage in young populations.
When the researchers delved deeper they found the risk of myopia rose steeply as daily screen time increased, with 5% greater odds of myopia for one hour a day of exposure compared with no screen use, and 97% higher odds for four hours' use a day.
Prof Chris Hammond of King's College London, a consultant ophthalmologist who was not involved in the work, said that based on a prevalence of myopia of about 15% in children aged 12 to 13 in the UK, the research suggested a child's risk of being shortsighted rose to 18% if they used a screen for an hour, and 27% after four hours.
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