{"id":3347,"date":"2020-04-20T09:35:34","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T01:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/?p=3347"},"modified":"2020-04-20T09:35:34","modified_gmt":"2020-04-20T01:35:34","slug":"control-childrens-screen-time-during-mco-to-maintain-good-eye-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newmalaysiatimes.com\/?p=3347","title":{"rendered":"Control children’s screen time during MCO to maintain good eye health"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 – With families remaining\u00a0indoors under the\u00a0Movement Control Order (MCO) which is now\u00a0into its third phase, the\u00a0time spent each day by family members on their\u00a0gadgets – handphones, computer, tablets, game consoles and television – has definitely increased.<\/p>\n

Dr Norazah Abdul Rahman, a consultant ophthalmologist and pediatric ophthalmologist at Ara Damansara Medical Centre, said parents should be concerned about this and\u00a0should control their children’s screen time in order to maintain\u00a0good eye health and safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Screen time is now not limited to entertainment, as there are now even online classes, while children as young as four\u00a0years old are routinely logging on to online gaming platforms or watching videos on YouTube and on-demand TV.<\/p>\n

“On the average, Malaysian young children spend most of their 12 to 16 waking hours in front of a laptop, television or smart phone, and almost never have\u00a0outdoor\u00a0activities,” she told Bernama.<\/p>\n

Dr Norazah stressed that too much screen time could lead to eyesight problems for children, with symptoms like frequent blinking,\u00a0abnormal visual behavior and consistent rubbing of the eyes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“In adults, digital eyestrain is often manifested by headaches, eye pain, foreign body sensation, occasional blurring of vision and body ache,” she said.<\/p>\n

She also discouraged usage of any digital device\u00a0for children under\u00a018 months of age, while in the case of those between the ages of two to five years, screen time of high quality programming should be limited to two\u00a0hours a day.<\/p>\n

“With the global pandemic going on, our eyes\u00a0and health\u00a0must be a priority,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dr Norazah advised\u00a0parents to practise the 20-20-20 rule, where\u00a0children are encouraged to take\u00a0frequent breaks from the digital screen every 20 minutes by looking at objects 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.<\/p>\n

“This helps to break strong accommodation reflex and eventually reduce the eyestrain.<\/p>\n

Frequent use of lubricant eye drops may also help to alleviate\u00a0the dry eye symptom.\u00a0Children may not complain\u00a0of eye pain but they do show\u00a0signs like frequent rubbing eyes or abnormal blinking,” she said.<\/p>\n

At the same\u00a0time, she said, people need to get away from digital screens or the television at least once\u00a0a week and use the\u00a0time for other skill enhancement pursuits such as painting, playing musical instruments or simply do light exercises.<\/p>\n

“After the MCO period ends, these are the moments that you will cherish as life becomes hectic again, and you have missed the opportunity to do all those other activities,” she said.<\/p>\n

Dr Norazah also reminded adults to limit screen time to work-related processes, video calls to loved\u00a0ones and catching up on news from reliable sources.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways practise\u00a0ergonomics of the workstation, as well as\u00a0‘eyegonomics’,\u00a0which is placing the screen 20 to 26 inches from your eyes,\u00a0and 15 degrees below eye level.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is essential to prevent bad posturing, musculoskeletal pain and dry eyes. Using a blue light screen filter helps to reduce glare and harsh reflections from the screen,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, human resource manager in a construction firm, Nur Fadzriny Mohamed Fadzill,35, said she realised that her children\u2019s use of gadgets had increased during the MCO period.<\/p>\n

However, she said, she limited the time her sons,\u00a0 Muhammad Faris Abdul Razak,10, and Muhammad Fahim Abdul Razak,7, spent on the handphone and tablet\u00a0to four hours a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, I allowed them to play games on the gadgets,\u00a0but that affected their sleep hours, so I decided to limit the amount of time they are online,\u201d she said, adding that she now takes the handphone and tablet from the children at night<\/p>\n

– BERNAMA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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