Children spending almost 35h/week on electronic devices

Media Release

16 February 2017

NEW ZEALAND CHILDREN ARE SPENDING ALMOST THE EQUIVALENT TO A FULL WORKING WEEK ON ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Almost one in five New Zealand children spend the equivalent of a full time job (up to 35 hours) per week staring at screens, reveals new research from Specsavers.

After the long summer holidays, no doubt children have spent time on iPads, tablets and computers. All of which can add value to children’s lives, especially for education, but Specsavers Optometrists are calling on parents to consider their children’s eyes. They warn that too much time spent in front of these electronic devices can cause serious, long-term damage to young eyes. While Clinical Psychologist Rebecca Daly-Peoples stresses the psychological effects increased screen time can have on children’s development and behaviour.

Specsavers Massey Optometrist, Jason Clark says, “Staring at screens for extended periods of time can increase the risk of becoming short-sighted, this means the eyes focus well only on close objects, while more distant objects appear blurred. Children are more so at risk, as their eyes are still developing. We care about the future vision of our children and urge parents to consider the amount of time kids are spending on their electronic devices.

“The research uncovered some worrying statistics, almost one in two children (45 per cent) aged between 1 - 16 years old have never had an eye exam. That is more than 400,000 Kiwi children and with the Specsavers Kids Go Free initiative offering free eye exams to all children up to the age of 16, there really is no excuse,” adds Jason Clark.

A psychological impact

In addition, Clinical Psychologist, Rebecca Daly-Peoples, notes that healthy vision is imperative for learning, “Impaired vision may lead to learning difficulties, which in turn can negatively affect kids’ self-esteem. For optimal eye development, children need to be interacting with their environment, moving around outside and engaging in physical and social activities,”

As well as potential effects on visual functioning and learning, Daly-Peoples warns there are a raft of other negative health outcomes from overuse of electronic screens including increased risks for obesity, sleep difficulties, and behaviour problems.

“As parents, we need to consider all aspects of our children’s health. When children are struggling with learning, headaches or sleep, it is important to assess the causes. Regular eye exams should be a part of that process, particularly in identifying vision-related learning difficulties,” concludes Daly Peoples.

Setting examples and being aware

Whilst the Ministry of Health shares guidelines to parents recommending that children spend no longer than two hours on electronic devices and get at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day, it appears adults may actually be setting bad examples. New Zealand adults spend a significant amount of time in front of desktop computers, laptops and smartphones ranking in the top three. On average 77 per cent of adults spend up to 14 hours per day in front of electronic devices – that’s nearly 100 hours a week.

After eight is too late

The research revealed that two thirds of parents (66 per cent) are not aware that a squint can be treated if detected early enough.

“Long term eye issues have a higher chance of being cured if they are detected and treated before a child turns eight. Prevention is better than cure. We recommend children have their eyes tested every two years,” says Jason Clark.

-ENDS-

NOTES TO EDITORS:

10 warning signs that there might be something wrong with a child’s eyesight:

1. Straining their eyes or tilting their head to see better

2. Frequent eye rubbing

3. Losing their place while reading, or using a finger to guide their eyes

4. Sensitivity to light and/or excessive tearing

5. Falling behind in school

6. Complaining of headaches or tired eyes

7. Consistently sitting too close to the TV or holding a book too close

8. Avoiding activities which require near vision, such as reading or homework; or distance vision, such as participating in sports or other recreational activities

9. Closing one eye to read, watch TV or see better

10. Avoiding using a computer or tablet because it ‘hurts their eyes’

Common eye complaints:

A Squint – where the child’s eye points in different directions. This can cause blurred vision, double vision and lead to lazy eye. Around 1 in 20 children have a squint and usually appears before the age of five. Squints can be treated with glasses and eye exercises. If these don’t work, surgery may be needed to move the muscles that control the eye.

Astigmatism – Astigmatism is an eye condition that can cause blurred or distorted vision. It occurs when the cornea or lens isn’t a perfectly curved shape. Many people who wear glasses have some degree of astigmatism suggesting that it is very common. Left untreated, astigmatism can cause headaches, eye strain and tiredness, particularly after doing tasks that involve focusing on something for long periods, such as reading or using a computer. In most cases astigmatism is easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

Short-sightedness – Being short-sighted means when you focus on objects when they are close up, but those further away will be blurred. Short-sightedness affects about one in three people, with diagnoses usually occurring at around the age of 12. In children, short-sightedness is easily corrected with glasses.

Long-sightedness – Children who are long-sighted find it easier to focus on things which are further away than those which are close to them. Long-sighted children may experience blurred vision or tired eyes when reading.

Amblyopia (or lazy eye) – When a child is diagnosed with an amblyopic or lazy eye, it usually means that one of their eyes is weaker than the other, causing them to rely more on their ‘good’ eye. Early treatment of lazy eye is important as it is not possible to correct after about the age of five and can result in permanent loss of vision from one eye.

Glasses are prescribed to correct the vision in the weaker eye, and often no further treatment is required. If the weak eye does not respond fully, a patch can be worn over the good eye for part of the day to force the weaker eye to work. Treatment is usually effective, but may take a while.

About Specsavers

Specsavers offers Digital Retinal Photography with every standard eye exam at all of its 52 stores across New Zealand, for free.

Digital Retinal Photography is a powerful tool that allows optometrists to screen for abnormalities, assisting with the early detection of diseases including diabetes, macular degeneration and glaucoma. At Specsavers, we believe New Zealanders deserve access to this advanced technology, which is why unlike some optometrists, we don’t charge extra for it.

Maybe this is why more New Zealanders chose a Specsavers optometrist for their last eye exam than any other optometrist (Roy Morgan Research 2013).

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