Virtual Learning and Its Adverse Effects on Children’s Eyesight
Should we worry about excessive screen time during the pandemic?
The coronavirus pandemic has affected every area of our lives, and we have had to adjust to continue to live as best as we can. Life is definitely not as we used to know it. The pandemic has not spared the educational system either, and schools are using digital technology in the form of online schooling to curtail the spread of the virus.
Gallup reported in April that 83% of school-aged children in the United States were learning remotely in 43 states and Washington, D. C because most schools discontinued in-person classes for the remaining school year because of the pandemic.
This has resulted in increased exposure to screen time because students have to do all school work virtually. It has also raised concerns for an increased prevalence of the physical eye discomfort called eye fatigue or digital eye strain that occurs with excessive screen exposure.
Some students choose to attend school in person. Unfortunately, they have also had to go intermittently virtual due to rising COVID-19 cases. An increasing number of staff and students require quarantine because of exposure to the virus.
