How does screen time affect us during distance learning?

By Nathan Chan

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, “normal school” has regularly been replaced by online distance learning. It began in early 2020, and we still don’t know when it will end. Now that distance learning is back for a third time, we need to know the effects of too much screen time.

Too much screen time is quite harmful to our eyes because our screens emit blue-violet light. This can damage our eyes, and with prolonged exposure, these damages can become severe.

According to the light spectrum chart, red light is the safest color, because its energy level is very low. On the other hand, blue-violet light is the most harmful because its energy level is very high. Adult eyes are good at blocking the sun’s ultraviolet light, but children’s eyes are not as strong.

In her book Young Scientists (2014), the author, Linda Gan, asserts that the most harmful device is a smartphone, as it emits more blue-violet light than any other device. After smartphones come consoles, laptops, then finally, a TV.

The Ophthalmology Times reports that people don’t actually blink that much. The blue-violet light emitted from these devices goes straight into the retina and can cause temporary or even permanent damage to the eye. Symptoms include eye strain, leading to dryness or irritation. Sometimes, you may even feel a stinging sensation if you stare at your computer or phone too much.

The effects of too much screen time are quite bad. They can decrease the efficiency of information processing and cause bad sleep patterns and screen addiction. Eye issues can range from short-sightedness to depression and even pain in your body.

Recently, a Google Form was sent out to the entire Renaissance College Year 6 cohort asking whether they wore glasses. 84.6% of the year level said yes! A large reason for this may be excessive screen time — in fact, it was found that most students used their computers for at least 6-8 hours a day.

There may be a lot of cons for screen time, but you can help the situation by taking a 20-second break every twenty minutes of screen-time. You can also do eye exercises, such as eye rolls (not in front of people!). There’s also the palm eye exercise, where you cover your eyes with your hand and stare into the empty darkness for at least thirty seconds.

Photo by Amateur Hub from Pexels

So what are you waiting for? Get your eyes off the screen and read a book or do some eye exercises. Most importantly, give your eyes enough rest.