Every hour your child spends on a screen increases their risk of nearsightedness—here’s what the science says. ⬇️
A major new study published in JAMA Network Open analyzed data from over 335,000 children and 45 studies and found a clear link between screen time and nearsightedness (myopia).
📱 The more screen time, the higher the risk:
* 1 hour/day → 5% increased risk of myopia
* 4 hours/day → 97% increased risk of myopia
* More than 4 hours? The risk keeps rising, but more gradually.
That means for every extra hour your child spends on a screen, their risk of nearsightedness goes up by 21%!
Why? Prolonged near work on screens strains young eyes and causes excessive eye growth—leading to blurry distance vision.
The study suggests a potential ‘safe zone’ of 1 hour or less of digital screen time per day.
BUT—Here’s What This Study Didn’t Tell Us
🚨 This study has some limitations! It only looked at screen time—not all types of near work
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* Is reading a book for 4 hours just as bad? We don’t know, because the study didn’t compare!
* Most screen time reports were based on parent estimates, which aren’t always accurate.
* It doesn’t account for HOW kids use screens—close-up phone use in dim lighting is worse than watching TV across the room.
But an interesting study which cements what most of us in the field have long suspected. #childhoodunplugged #parentingtips #screentime
