Dry eyes a symptom of staying inside

A Warnbro optometrist has warned children who stay indoors playing computer games are at risk of dry eye syndrome.

Satvinder Bansal has encouraged families to swap the remote control for the outdoors to give their eyes a break.

‘‘Dry eye syndrome occurs when there are not enough tears on the front of the eyes,’’ he said.

‘‘Symptoms include itching, irritation and grittiness.’’

Specsavers optometrist Mr Bansal, who has practised for 18 years, said there had been a dramatic increase in children suffering sore eyes in the past five years.

‘‘We are starting to see things which are more prevalent in the elderly, such as dry eye, in the younger generations,’’ he said.

‘‘We get children coming in with red, sore eyes worried about what is going on and it usually boils down to the fact they have been spending way too much time staring at computer screens.

‘‘Concentrating on near tasks, electronic gadgets or television and computer screens has been shown to cause dry eye issues, soreness and irritated eyes.’’

Mr Bansal said parents should get their children playing outdoors more often to avoid the symptoms.

‘‘Kids who snub computer games indoors in favour of the garden or park are at a lower risk of getting dry eye or needing glasses as they grow up,’’ he said.

‘‘It is important for kids to be outdoors to expose their eyes to long-distance objects and to relax their eye muscles.’’