Schools with virtual books and interactive whiteboards: special eye care?

With their eyes on the screen, in and out of school, there are more and more children with vision problems. The ophthalmologist Ana Vide Escada underlines the care to be taken with virtual books and interactive whiteboards in the classroom.

Difficulty in viewing interactive whiteboards and projections in classrooms is a very frequent complaint from children and young people in consultation. This happens because the lighting conditions of the rooms, and often of the surfaces on which things are projected, are not the most appropriate, and therefore the contrast is worse. And so, even kids who don't have eye diseases end up having associated complaints. It is very important to have an evaluation by the ophthalmologist to see if there is a need to use glasses and, even if there isn't, there can be information for the school that if there is a possibility of improving conditions it would be ideal.

Regarding schools that have textbooks that are no longer printed - and there are more and more of them - the truth is that the problem is not the textbooks not being printed, but the sum of the time kids spend studying through digital screens together with the time they spend in recreational activities on digital screens - namely when we talk about the youngsters more than the children. They are at higher risk to develop dry eye syndrome and to have complaints of visual fatigue. It is again very important the evaluation by the ophthalmologist, to understand if there is any need to wear glasses; if there is already any sign of dry eye and to introduce treatment if necessary; some type of strabismus that is hidden but that, with this effort, may end up worsening and appearing in a more permanent way; and above all to inform about how we should condition ourselves, so to speak, from childhood, to take small breaks that throughout the day, and the sum of the various days, end up being extremely important. And don't forget that today is World Retina Day and is yet another reason to consult your ophthalmologist.

Tomorrow we talk about vision and learning disabilities.

With the support of the Portuguese Society of Ophthalmology.