Saudi Gazette A recent study revealed that children between the ages of three and 13 years in Saudi Arabia spend an average of five hours a day playing electronic games. In addition to the negative social implications and the weight gain involved in spending so much time on these games, eye health is another major concern. “Squinting at the screens of these games for long hours at a time causes straining and exhaustion of the eyes and laziness of the muscles that help the eye lens focus normally. It is very common for children to experience temporary blurred vision, headaches, dryness of the eyes, and increased sensitivity to light after using electronic devices for an extended time. What the children do not know is that these symptoms increase their risk and contribute to the developing of myopia (near sightedness) and hyperopia (long sightedness) even if there was no family heritage,” says ophthalmologist Dr. Abrar Al-Awami. The eye doctor provided these warning signals that parents should pay attention to, which may indicate that children have an existing eye problem as a result of overuse of electronic games. n Sitting too close to the television set n Regularly rubbing the eyes n Burning sensation in the eyes n Increased sensitivity to light n Recurrent headaches especially if he/she is reading or trying to concentrate n Covering one eye to see better n Difficulty reading and/or writing n Redness of the eye and constant tearing n Tilting the head to either side to see distant objects better n Presence of white spots in the iris or pupil of the eye n Poor concentration in general “Children at a young age rarely complain of these discomforts because they may not realize that they have a problem and they think that their eye discomfort and distorted vision is normal for all kids their age. Therefore, it is imperative that parents watch out for these warning signals and for all children to get regular eye checkups to avoid disorders that may lead to preventable eye impairment in the future. All healthy children should get their first official eye exam at the age of 3 to 4 years, and earlier if there is a family history of glaucoma or cataracts,” said Dr. Al-Awami. Dr. Al-Awami also pointed out some common mistakes that children make when playing electronic or computer games that contribute to the deterioration of eye health. She advises parents to make sure that the room the child is playing in is well lit. Children should avoid reading, playing computer games, or watching TV in a dark or semi-dark room because that exhausts the eyes. Children and adults should take regular breaks while playing on these games and look away from the screen. “Computer users should stop what they are doing once every hour, for about 10 minutes and look at a distant object. This is an easy exercise for the eye muscles that will help them relax, and thus keeps them strong and working efficiently. It is best to use smart computer screens that have built in filters that reduce the radiation from the screen,” said Dr. Al-Awami. Mubarak Al-Hajri was fascinated by his 4-year-old son's outstanding ability and skill at operating electronic devices so he bought his son several entertainment gadgets. “I bought my son the latest in electronic games and he started spending more than half of his day at these devices. After his mother and I noticed that he was constantly rubbing his eyes and coming closer to the screen, we took him to an eye doctor. He was diagnosed with the visual disorder, known as lazy eye, which we were able to treat and correct due to early intervention and the help of our ophthalmologist. We now strictly limit the time we allow our children to watch TV and play computer games and other video games,” said Al
