It’s no denying that gazing in a computer or telephone screen for hours at a time is healthy for eyes.

But it might be getting worse.

According to a new study From United Kingdom-based eye care company Scrivens Opticians, the proportion of children 13 to 16 years old that need eyeglasses has almost doubled in less than a decade.

That ocular stimulation shortsightedness blurred vision and has resulted in eye strain.

The Researchers say 35 percent of those ages 13 to 16 eyeglasses in 2018. That is up from 20 percent in 2012. Two-thirds of these children received diagnoses of nearsightedness.

In the U.K., those kids are spending 26 hours per week in front of a digital screen, such as televisions.

“Children’s eyes continue to grow until early adulthood — and their eyesight is changing, too,” Sheena Mangat, a Scrivens optometrist, said in a statement. “Because conditions like short- or longsightedness can occur gradually over time, neither children nor parents can see the signs, which is the reason why regular eye checks are so important.”

The ramifications of displays

Children Have been staring at displays for at least two or three decades. It necessary and inevitable for binge-watching Netflix, and college, work.

Parents the 1960s and 1970s for sitting too near the day’s enormous televisions. But mobile phones and computers have been family staples for about a generation.

Why the sudden uptick in children needing glasses?

Dr. Paul Karpecki, a nationally known optometrist and a part of the Eyesafe Vision Health Advisory Board, said physicians are seeing more cases of glaucoma and retinal myopic degeneration lately that may likely be attributed to greater screen time.

These conditions used to happen in people in their 60s, 70s, and 80s.

“Now People are coming in (with these states) in their 30s,” Karpecki informed Healthline. “It’s taken on incredible momentum that the past three to five decades. It has become critical around the nation. With the number of mobiles and iPads on the market, (children) are not getting the appropriate development with their eyes.”

Today’s kids, unlike most Devices are, engaged by them. Karpecki said kids tend to hold displays closer to eyes. Even having arms effects.

“As you get older, the lens on your Eye becomes a filter, but that is not present in kids,” Karpecki stated. “That light goes directly to the back of the eye.”

The American Optometric Association publishes a Healthy Vision Using Digital Devices fact sheet, which points out apparatus “pose more challenges” and has grown smaller, making a larger strain on eyes.

Dr. Ryan Parker Is an education in the eyewear firm Essilor of America’s director and an optometrist. He says investigators are in the early stages of understanding screen time on children’s effects.

“Blue light damages the retina,” Parker told Healthline. “It’s accumulative over time and there’s a link to being inside and myopia progression. There’s a selection of wavelengths of light that’s harmful. The sun is the largest single emitter of the light.”

“The difference between today from 15 years ago is that we are exposed to high amounts of that light inside,” Parker noted.

That light’s ramifications do not stop in the eyeballs.

“Research shows heavy amounts of screen time affects sleep patterns and overall brain development,” said Linsly Donnelly, A vice president of consumer operations and parents at Securely, which develops applications to monitor children’s screen time.

“The Large one people care about is brain damage as well as our brain rewiring,” Donnelly told Healthline. “We do not retain information as well if we are reading on a screen as when we’re reading a book because we use different areas of the brain.”

Suggestions for parents

The Scrivens’ study found that 73 percent of parents said it is a challenge to receive their offspring to put their devices for a couple of hours.

Over a quarter of the parents said they have never taken their children.

“Parents Have a lengthy back-to-school checklist, but getting your children’s eyes tested should be a priority,” Mangat said. “We do not think twice about taking our children to the (general practitioner) if they become sick or the dentist for routine checks but, possibly, a yearly eye health evaluation is just as important.”

The American Optometric Association recommends the rule, which states eyes require a break to look at something 20 feet away.

The company says users must have a break every two hours.

Parents and technology and tech may fight with it.

There are device settings and light-filtering technology can be altered to control the amount of light bombarding sensitive eyes.

“I think we are seeing low blue light emissions from companies such as Dell,” said Karpecki. “As parents, we must set limits. Turn down the Brightening scale. There is VisionGuard (made by Zagg for iPhones), which filters light. The visual does not diminish quality. We are finally getting to a place where we know the effects.”