Contrary to the well-known opinion that TV, monitors and modern gadgets have a negative impact on children’s vision, American scientists believe that the parents’ statement: “ You'll ruin your eyes sitting in front of the TV"is not true. Experts from Ohio State believe that screens do not damage children's vision. They confirmed this theory by observing children aged 6 to 11 years for 20 years. At the same time, scientists recorded how long children sat in front of a computer or TV, and also regularly checked the vision of the participants in the experiment. In the end, they found absolutely no connection. Scientists studied data from about five thousand children who used different gadgets, and their quality constantly changed as the research progressed. But for development Neither the quality of tablets and monitors, nor the distance from the eyes to the screen affected.

Scientists say that the main reason for the development of myopia in children is a violation of the curvature of the lens, which occurs during eye growth. Doctors consider staying in the fresh air to be the most effective way to prevent this phenomenon. The more a child walks, the lower the chance that his vision will become worse.

By the way, recently in the magazine “ Current Biology“an article was published about the fact that physical activity affects the quality of vision. By practicing physical activity, a person thereby provides a positive effect on the neurons of the brain, increasing their plasticity. Consequently, cognitive abilities improve.

During the study, scientists studied residual plasticity of the visual cortex in adults. For this purpose, a binocular balance test was performed. As a rule, both eyes of a person work simultaneously. If a person closes one eye for a short period of time, then that eye becomes more “strong” as the visual cortex strives to compensate for the lack of signal. Plasticity of the visual cortex can be assessed by changes in the amount of imbalance that occurs between the eyes.

A study was conducted in which 20 volunteers took the test. They did this twice. The first time we watched a movie, sitting in a chair and doing it with one eye closed. The second time, while watching the film, they performed exercises on an exercise bike. After analyzing the results, scientists determined that brain plasticity increases if a person practices physical activity.

Scientists plan to continue this research, because its results can be very important for treatment amblyopia - the so-called " lazy eye syndrome».

The latest medical statistics claim that modern children spend up to ten hours a day in front of various monitors! At the same time, the maximum amount of time that is permissible for a teenager to spend in front of a screen is a maximum of three hours a day, for children of primary school age - no more than an hour.

But, since it is difficult to imagine modern life without the active use of various gadgets, you should try to reduce the risk of them negative influence on vision, to a minimum.

What are the dangers of gadgets for the eyes?

There are two main problems that beset those who often use gadgets - smartphones, tablets, e-books And so on.

• First of all, the likelihood of developing true or false myopia, so-called myopia. The difference between these two pathologies is as follows: with true myopia, the eyeball elongates, that is, it stretches and distorts the image. With myopia, muscle spasm occurs, so the picture loses sharpness.
• The second problem is the development of dry eye syndrome, which occurs due to the fact that the child is too carried away by what is happening on the screen and forgets to blink so that the eye is moistened naturally.

How to avoid vision problems when using gadgets

To minimize the risk of vision problems while using various gadgets, you should use the following recommendations:

Pixels and size matter

When purchasing another electronic gadget for a child, you need to pay special attention to the screen characteristics. Screens that are too small and have low resolution are considered especially harmful.

Screen resolution- this is the number of dots per inch, therefore, the fewer such dots, the worse the image will be, the picture will be blurry, and, therefore, the vision will have to strain more.

If the resolution is good, but the screen is too small, you will also have to strain your eyesight, but less than with poor resolution. For example, the minimum resolution for a four-inch screen is 960640, but it is better to give preference to full HD or HD resolution.

Music stand

The fact that the monitor held in the hands is not static also has a significant negative impact on vision. For example, if a child watches TV or works at desktop computer, your eyesight is strained much less than when watching cartoons on a tablet that you need to hold in your hands. Every second, even a minimal change in the position of the screen provokes the development of myopia. Therefore, it is advisable to purchase special devices that fix the monitor, that is, their function resembles a music stand.

Light

A child forgets to blink while watching a cartoon or movie on a gadget, mainly because the screen backlight is too bright. This is especially true for LCD screens. Modern readers (electronic books) that use technology called “electronic ink” are considered the safest for vision. main feature which is that the page looks dim, like real paper.

But you can adjust the screen lighting in other gadgets. Indoors, on a cloudy day, for example, for a tablet or smartphone, a third of the full backlight is enough. The advice that remains relevant when using gadgets is not to read in the dark, that is, do not make the screen light so bright that you can read in dark room. Just turn it on table lamp and dim the gadget’s backlight.

If it is not possible to buy your child a really high-quality gadget with a good big screen and good resolution, you shouldn’t buy a cheap analogue and put your child’s vision at risk. It's better to buy it for home good TV, not too large if the area of ​​the room does not allow it, but with a high-quality screen.

Spend more time with your child, play with him, walk in the fresh air, play sports, communicate so that the time spent behind the screen is minimal. This will not only save visual acuity, but will improve the child’s overall health.

Reading time 1 minutes

Reading time 1 minutes

Doctor at the Lege Artis eye clinic and the State Clinical Hospital named after. S. P. Botkina Andrey Vladimirovich Lapochkin

“You shouldn’t expect anything good from the point of view of eye health either in the near or in the distant future,” the ophthalmologist, candidate of medical sciences, doctor at the Lege Artis eye clinic and the City Clinical Hospital begins with such an “optimistic” note. S. P. Botkin Andrey Vladimirovich Lapochkin. — Our patients are getting “younger,” and rapidly, I tell you. For example, let’s take cataracts (or, in other words, clouding of the lens): if previously the age of the patient being operated on was sixty or more, today in my surgical practice I often encounter twenty-five-year-olds.

It is very serious! It is not always possible to associate such a young cataract with other human diseases, for example with the thyroid gland or diabetes mellitus, in which it is always earlier. The only thing we can assume is the influence of so-called gadgets.” Estimate how much time you spend on your smartphone, tablet, monitor and laptop screen. Okay, in the workplace, but let's be honest now: even when going to the toilet, do you take your phone with you? When do you eat? Do you scroll through Instagram before bed? When you get on the subway, look up from the screen and count how many people are sitting without having their nose in a gadget. And also test yourself, for example, by installing the Moments application. This is where you can’t escape reality: the program daily counts the time the user spends looking at the screen of his iPhone or iPad. You can come up with a “daily limit” for yourself and even track where on the map you interact with your device the most. Believe me, you will be horrified.

“The most common health damage caused by modern gadgets is myopia,” explains Dr. Lapochkin. — Yes, for most it is small, from minus one to minus three, but nevertheless I observe this “adaptive mechanism” in a huge number of young people. What I mean: even if you have perfect vision, you are forced to strain it in order to concentrate on the text of a document or on a luminous object. Over time, the body turns on the protective function and “lengthens” the eye - exactly what is characteristic of myopia. One millimeter is equal to minus three dioptres. Many schoolchildren, and certainly a huge number of students, are approaching this mark.”

If myopia is also layered with a hereditary factor (of course, its percentage is much smaller), then the total result can be a progressive phenomenon when the eye grows not to minus two or three, but to minus five to seven, or even more, diopters. The worst thing that happens is that the inner lining of the eye, that is, the retina and choroid, is stretched, which can lead to retinal detachment. And this is a serious pathology, up to and including visual impairment, if it is not detected in a timely manner. The bottom line is clear as day: “If you have been diagnosed with myopia sooner or later, keep an eye on it. This means: visit your ophthalmologist regularly (at least twice a year): the doctor will monitor whether it is progressing or not.”

The most important mechanism in the act of vision is the lens, which works like a lens in a camera, refracting light. It is regulated by intraocular muscles, which change its tone: it becomes either flatter or more convex in order to observe various kinds of images on different distances. This “accommodative apparatus,” as it is scientifically called, gets tired. Drops are often prescribed for relaxation: as a rule, they should be instilled at night. They slightly expand vision, but at the same time sharply relax the intraocular muscles that regulate the tone of the lens. This relieves excess stress that a person received during the day while working with gadgets. “Do not buy eye drops yourself and under no circumstances use them without a preliminary examination by an ophthalmologist,” warns Lapochkin. “They can cause a sharp attack of increased eye pressure with a wide pupil and only do harm.”

There is also such a thing as “dry eye” syndrome. This is exactly the scourge of modern youth, when, staring at screens, we blink our eyes five to seven times less often.

In this situation, the tear film evaporates and for some time the cornea of ​​the eye becomes more exposed. Because of this, a person may often experience red eyes and feelings of dryness, burning, debris, or a foreign body. Over time, if you do not reduce the time in front of the screen (yes, yes, try to do this!) and do not take medications that protect the cornea, then dry eye syndrome can worsen to the point of serious inflammatory processes that will have to be treated in a hospital.

“I want to dispel the myth about lenses: there are now a huge number of them on the manufacturers’ market. Yes, they are becoming more and more moisturized and gas-permeable, but they are unlikely to be able to save you from dry eye syndrome or visual fatigue, explains Dr. Lapochkin. — Lenses are actually glasses, only placed on the cornea of ​​the eye; they simply help you see better. Take contact lens hygiene seriously. What I mean is that it's very clean hands when you put on and take off your lenses. An antiseptic solution is required if the lenses are not daily, but weekly. Strict adherence to the wearing period. Outwardly, they may be the same, but you cannot wear them for a week, since they are one-day. Let me explain why I focus so much attention on this. Because more than once we have encountered severe complications associated with poor hygiene of contact lenses. In my memory, there is even a case of complete death of the eyeball.”

Dermatocosmetologist at the White Garden health and beauty center Irina Gnedina

The effect of frequent use of gadgets on the appearance of wrinkles has a scientific basis. This is a continuous visual load, which leads to contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle and slows down lymphatic drainage and blood circulation, and in general metabolic processes in tissues in the periorbital area. The skin around the eyes is very thin (six times thinner than the skin of the face), there is no subcutaneous fat near the eyes, so it is this area that reacts faster than other areas of the face to any influence. There are also fewer collagen fibers in this area, which means a faster loss of elasticity. And if you have poor eyesight, then while working with gadgets you involuntarily squint and frown, and wrinkles appear not only around the eyes, but in the entire upper third of the face - eyebrow folds and horizontal wrinkles on the forehead. The situation is worsened by the fact that this happens regularly and over a long period of time: the muscles “remember” this position and maintain it in normal situations, which is why the lines gradually become deeper. Another “bonus” of constant use of gadgets is the rings of Venus (horizontal folds on the neck). They arise due to prolonged stay in a position with the head down. Prevention: botulinum therapy, MesoEye mesotherapy, Cryolift device, Futura Pro microcurrents.

And since it is not possible to get rid of smartphones, tablets and computers these days, we need to learn ourselves and teach children to live with them in peace and harmony, minimizing the harm and making the most of the benefits.

Let's start with the fact that it is wrong to think and tell your children that long computer games will definitely ruin your eyesight. Ophthalmologists can give many examples when, in the case of one child, vigilance actually decreased, and in the case of another, constant communication with gadgets did not have any noticeable harm to health.

We are all different, and there are a lot of factors that influence visual acuity, ranging from heredity, characteristics of physical development and ending with the environment.

There is no doubt: a luminous screen contributes to the development of myopia. By nature, the human eye is designed for distance vision, and even under the condition of natural lighting. And many electronic gadgets expect to be viewed at close range. Therefore, no one can guarantee that the baby’s visual system will withstand long-term stress and will not give up by the age of five or seven.

To prevent this from happening, it is worth teaching the child to wisely use the benefits of civilization. Our task is to change our lifestyle no less. Include in it simple rules, allowing you to minimize the negative impact of gadgets and preserve your vision.

Rule one: preschoolers can be given a smartphone or tablet only in emergency cases - on a long journey or while waiting for a long line to arrive. Older children, when playing on a tablet, should regularly take breaks for eye exercises and choose the correct body position.

Rule two: kids can only watch TV on a big screen. We choose not very dynamic and bright cartoons. “Masha and the Bear” is an energetic cartoon, we watch it with children from four years old.

Rule three: we seat the child no closer than three meters from the TV so that the screen is at eye level.

Finally, about how gadgets can benefit your eyes. In ophthalmology clinics, computer games are used for treatment and vision correction. For example, one of the games asks children to choose the same image on the petals of a flower as the one that appears in its core. Both eyes are actively involved in this game. At the same time, the color of the images changes, which relieves eye fatigue. Ophthalmologists advise playing this game daily, once or twice.

There are also computer programs containing a set of exercises for the eyes. With regular exercise, you can, if not improve your vision, then prevent the progression of myopia, farsightedness and astigmatism.

These games can be found on the Internet and downloaded for free. The only thing is that you don’t need to get carried away with self-medication or treating a child, but you should first consult with a specialist about whether this method is suitable for your case.

Interestingly, programs have now appeared that force the computer user to take breaks from time to time. It looks like this: once an hour your monitor will go dark and thereby remind you that you need to take a ten-minute break. Another program will periodically block the mouse and keyboard so that the person remembers to take a necessary break. And at the same time he will “slip” you or your child an animation with exercises that would be good to do. Just what the doctor ordered!

The main task of every parent is to prepare their child for real world conditions and survival. As a result, educational efforts for many years consist of training offspring, caring for their safety and health. But how do children perceive this?

Considering the topic of how gadgets affect children and their harm, it is worth highlighting several main points.

First of all, this is vision impairment. If your baby constantly looks at the monitor or screen of a mobile device, this will affect his vision. Experts say that the influence of such electronic “toys” is so strong that vision lost before the age of 10 cannot be restored. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly control the child’s presence at the computer. In addition, there are special techniques that help draw up a safe use plan. modern devices. Based on how old your child is, you can determine the acceptable amount of time in front of the monitor:

• Pediatricians generally do not recommend that children aged 1 to 5 years be near a computer;
• at the age of 5 to 7 years, playing on a computer or tablet for 10 minutes (maximum 20 over 24 hours) is considered safe;
• Pupils of grades 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are allowed to sit with gadgets for 10-15 minutes without a break. in a day;
• from 10 years of age, a child can be allowed to use devices for 20 minutes without a break, a maximum of three times during the day.

The harmful influence of gadgets on modern children also affects their sedentary lifestyle. A child who plays a lot and often on a computer or with a tablet practically does not move, which affects the spine and joints. In addition, such children have a tendency to accumulate excess weight from an early age.

Mental disorders are another side effect of excessive exposure to modern electronic technology. Although rare, such phenomena are quite possible. Mental disorders are often observed more in those children who spend time in front of a monitor playing games. Games that are inappropriate for their age are especially harmful to the mental health of children. For example, those that contain scenes with elements of violence, blood, exposure to psychotropic substances, as well as scenes of an erotic nature.

In addition, every online game has an element of virtual communication. As a result, the child’s worldview changes, and he becomes influenced by travel in the world of computer technology. Of course, after such exciting game episodes, it is very difficult for a child to return to the real world to his lessons and his responsibilities, and for parents it is difficult to wean their offspring from such a harmful habit.

Against the background of long-term regular communication with gadgets, the child’s ability to distinguish truth and reality from fiction deteriorates. Children transfer many actions and plots of scenes seen on the device monitor to the present, without understanding their harm and Negative consequences. The behavior model is formed by children based on the actions of the heroes of the virtual world. This is the main problem of modern small users of electronic devices - they adopt the skills of characters, most of whom are selfish and aggressive individuals, guided in action only by their own desires and needs.

The harm of constant communication with gadgets is also reflected in the fact that children develop addiction. Many experts compare this addiction to alcohol and drug addiction.

However, parents may not notice this effect of the device on their child. The first suspicions begin to creep in when they attempt to wean their offspring from the electronic “toy” and replace virtuality with reality.

At the same time, there are also “advantages” of children’s communication with modern mobile devices and computer:

• Possibility of comprehensive development of the child, subject to careful supervision by parents. This does not mean that from the first year of life the baby should be introduced to gadgets. He will need this skill from the age of seven. Modern schoolchildren aged 7-10 know how to turn on a laptop, computer or tablet and run on it the program necessary for learning or acquiring new knowledge. The main thing is that parents can be present with their children at this time in order to unobtrusively help and at the same time control the process.
• An opportunity to keep your child occupied for a short time during a long wait. Everyone knows that children do not tolerate long lines, monotonous long journeys, waiting in clinics, etc. In such situations, exciting toys or paper and pencils are not always at hand. Another thing is a smartphone or tablet, which can distract the baby for 10-15 minutes. Parents can also spend this time usefully by playing an educational and educational game. This way they will be able to communicate with their children and additionally introduce them to new knowledge.

As you can see, there are also positive aspects of communicating with gadgets. However, in order to prevent children from getting used to the world of virtual travel and attempts to manipulate, it is better to control the time they spend on computer monitors and tablets.

If in your life there is a problem of a child getting used to the world of computer technology and this affects his behavior, communication, and studies, it is urgent to take safety measures. This dependence is recognized by two signs:

• real life and communication with parents (relatives, friends) are relegated to the background;
• There is a violent protest, hysteria, and threats when parents try to impose restrictions.

If you notice such symptoms of excessive passion for electronic toys, you should wean your child off using the following techniques:

• control over the duration of the offspring’s communication with the “technologies of the future.” In order not to encounter a similar problem later, try to keep children from one year to five years away from gadgets at all;
• reviewing app recommendations to ensure descriptions are appropriate for his or her age group;
• do not resort to using devices unnecessarily. Don’t try to get rid of your child by pushing a tablet or iPhone into his hands; it’s better to get him interested in what he’s doing and ask for help. And do not manipulate children by promising a game as a reward for fulfilling a request.

Ophthalmologist I.N. Turco