Excessive usage of digital devices by children during the ongoing pandemic causing vision problems has drawn the attention of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu who has called upon the government, parents and teachers to urgently address the issue.
At the Silver Jubilee celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Sevashrama after inaugurating a new block of Sri Sharadadevi Eye Hospital and Research Centre at Pavagada, he noted many children use devices around the clock for both school and play. This, combined with delayed vision screenings during the pandemic, has created a heap of issues for children’s eyesight.
“We all are living in a digital age with tons of information available online. While technology is phenomenally benefitting people across the globe, however, like everything else it comes with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. When it comes to children a lot has changed for them, now everything they need is just one click away, be it books, games, activities, or connecting with friends,” he said.
During the ongoing pandemic, these digital devices are helping students to continue with their education without any interruption. The flip side is that gadget addiction among children is on the rise and is an issue which needs to be addressed by parents and teachers.
Also, due to the increased screen time, problems like eye strain, dry eyes and irritation are believed to be increasing among children. Therefore, while using technology, it should also be ensured that it does not give rise to health issues or those of excessive dependence. Hence, we need to regulate our usage of digital devices and be particularly mindful of this fact in the case of children, the Vice President further said.
Drawing attention to the major health challenge of corneal blindness, Naidu quoted the National Blindness survey (2015-19) and said that in India, approximately 68 lakh people suffer from corneal blindness in at least one eye and of these around 10 lakh people are blind in both their eyes.
“The National Blindness and Visual Impairment Survey 2019 reported that corneal blindness was the leading cause of blindness among patients aged less than 50 years in India, accounting for 37.5% of the cases and was the second leading cause of blindness among patients above the age of 50 years,” he added.
He urged the Government and private sector to build disabled-friendly infrastructure as it would benefit people with disabilities in a big way. He said that every public building and utility must be equipped with facilities for differently abled persons. “There are guidelines already in place for disabled friendly infrastructure therefore all the local bodies and state governments must enforce them,” he added.