Screen Hours and Myopia in Children

Abstract

The massification of the Internet and mobile communication, as well as increased access to digital tools and electronic devices, have changed the quality of life and health of the world's population, with a particularly important impact on children. The excessive use of screens is a problem among this population because of its impact on sedentary lifestyles, overweight, behavioral alterations, depressive and sleep disorders; but also because of its effect on the developing visual system, since it predisposes to dry eye syndrome, excessive accommodation-convergence, causes hypermetropic defocus at the fovea (this is believed to stimulate axial growth), increases the tension of the ciliary body and extraocular muscles, in addition to the harmful effects of blue-violet light on intraocular structures. Studies suggest that children are more prone to developing myopia because they are less exposed to natural light and spend more time in indoor environments in front of screens; many studies have even shown an association between the use of screens, close-eye work and the presence of myopia, but there are no conclusive data that isolate an independent risk. From this review, the prevalence of myopia is concluded to be increasing based on a multifactorial etiology.