Parents ‘nonchalant’ on myopia

Parents are “nonchalant” about the risk of their children developing shortsightedness, even though a new study shows children spend up to 14 hours a week at a screen.

Research incorporating the views of 329 parents of 1,190 children found that three quarters of those surveyed believe digital technology could cause eye strain, but a much lower percentage believe myopia is an actual health risk.

It found that screen time is a huge feature of children’s lives. Parents recorded their children as spending twice as much time on digital devices on weekend days compared to weekdays.