With school children spending more time with online learning, the need for yearly exams has become even more important.
Children are spending more time in ZOOM video chats and other virtual learning applications such as Google classroom, which adds to eyes strain that may already be present from spending time watching TV and playing video games on tablets and smartphones.
The eyes have to work harder with the increased screen time and this can lead to vision problems in the future. Symptoms of eye strain can include headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes. Following the 20-20-20 rule is a good way to help ease eye strain. For every 20 minutes of screen time, your child should look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds to allow the eyes to refocus.
Parents should be proactive and make sure their child gets a complete eye exam prior to the start of school and help their child to be aware of taking breaks from staring at a screen for long periods of time.