Too much screen time could harm children's eyesight, specialists warn
It's usually around this time of year that Vancouver optometrist Dr. Mini Randhawa notices children streaming into her practice with dry eyes and blurry vision. Randhawa's optometry practice focuses on pediatrics, so an influx of children isn't unusual. What is odd, she says, is the increasing number of kids with conditions she correlates with too much "screen time" — time in front of a phone, tablet or TV. "The problem with screen time is it actually has some pretty significant side effects on our eyes — particularly kids' eyes," Randhawa said. August to October are the busiest months at Randhawa's practice, as parents bring their children in to ready them for the school year. But for some, it's also a return to normal after a long summer of lax screen time rules. And Randhawa says it's this time of year when she most sees a decline in her young patients' eyesight. Some eye care health professionals like Randhawa are