How screen time can cause near-sightedness in children

Children are spending more time than ever before staring at screens, which can have an impact on their eyes and cause near-sightedness.

Thursday marked World Sight Day, and this year ophthalmologists are calling on kids to love their eyes.

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According to ophthalmologist Dr. Chryssa McAlister, excessive screen time means children spend more time indoors and do “near” activities (30 cm or closer).

“These are two factors that really in the past years have become more and more important for children requiring glasses,” she said.

McAlister noted that screens themselves are not particularly harmful to eyes, but they have other associated implications.

She added that over the last several decades there’s been an epidemic of near-sightedness in children.

“The thought is that the main issue with near-sightedness in children is spending too much time inside, because of the importance that natural light plays on the eye development,” she said.

McAlister noted that though it can be hard to limit screen time, it's particularly important in Canada due to the dark winters.

Watch above to find out what you can do to protect your child's eyes.

- With files from CTV’s Maralee Caruso.