M&S Opticians encourages parents to limit children’s screen time at Christmas

M&S Opticians has encouraged parents to limit the amount of screen time their children have this Christmas in order to avoid the effects of digital eye strain.

Optometrists at the High Street store suggested that parents follow the 20/20/20 rule – looking away from a laptop, tablet or smartphone screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds at an object 20ft away.

Optometrist at M&S Opticians, Mohammed Bhuta, explained that too much screen time can lead to problems such as computer vision syndrome, digital eye strain and conditions including dry eye syndrome.

“Typical symptoms of too much screen time include: tired eyes, eye strain, blurred vision, double vision, eye irritation, redness, dry eye and headaches. These symptoms are as a result of the prolonged use of eye muscles used for near focusing, the concentration for long periods which reduces the number of times you blink, as well as over exposure to brightness and glare emitted by digital devices,” he shared.

Mr Bhuta added that these issues can cause a high level of discomfort and in some cases, can become more severe and impact on day to day life.

M&S Opticians recommended taking regular breaks from screens, keeping screens and glasses clean, and adjusting brightness levels on screens.