ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É

Virtual learning was a necessary shift in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it may present another dire problem among children.

The South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) says children being on devices for lengthy periods of schooling can severely affect their vision.

"We have to strive for balance in terms of how long they are staring at the screen. They need to learn 'I have to take breaks; I have to remember to blink'. Also, we need to strive to have the children get eye examinations. So if it is that they are in need of glasses, they can get these glasses to enhance their performance," Mayanna Francis, optometrist with SERHA, told THE STAR at a World Sight Day symposium.

A recent study by UNICEF Jamaica, in collaboration with the Caribbean Policy Research Institute, revealed that children have gone from spending 3.1 hours, to 6.8 hours on screen time since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Francis says because of the extra time being spent on these devices, children may start experiencing symptoms that may go unnoticed.

"A child may be frequently rubbing or blinking the eyes. Children who are viewing the computer extensively may experience eye discomfort, fatigue, headaches, their vision may be blurry, or they may have dry eyes or other symptoms of eye strain. Those can result in visual disturbances ... even blindness in either or both of the eyes," she said.

She added that these habits may make children more susceptible to developing problems than adults. For some, the increased use of devices will only highlight pre-existing conditions.

"Children who have a vision problem but were not previously aware, will now become increasingly aware because of the increased use of mobile devices or computers," she said.

Jasford Gabriel, president of the Jamaica Teachers' Association, says an estimated 100,000 Jamaicans are visually impaired.

"A breakdown of this statistic shows that of this number, about 28,000 are blind. Reduced or absent eyesight can have major long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities," he said. "At this particular time, I cannot say that the students that are blind or visually impaired have the necessary assistance that they need. Some do not have the devices, and some might not necessarily have the training to utilise those devices. So, there is a gap at this particular time."

Thus far, only about 25 per cent of the student population at the Salvation Army School for the Blind has received tablets.