It is nearly impossible to limit screen time in the modern era of new technology. As we become more and more reliant on our screens, whether for work or play, "smartphone vision syndrome" has emerged as a very real health concern. Dr. Sudhir Kumar of Hyderabad discussed how one of his patients had vision issues as a result of regular behavioural traits in a now-viral Twitter thread.
Dr. Sudhir explained in a series of tweets how a young woman's common habit caused severe vision impairment. He claimed that Manju, 30, had severe visionary problems for 1.5 years. This included occasionally being unable to see or focus on objects, viewing floaters, luminous flashes of light, and dark zigzag paths.
There were times when she was unable to see anything for a while. When she got up at night to use the restroom, this mostly happened. After a thorough examination, it was determined that she had normal eyes. She was referred so that neurological causes could not be the reason.
Dr continued and wrote, “I reviewed the history. Symptoms had started after she quit her job of a beautician in order to take care of her specially abled child. She picked up a new habit of browsing through her smartphone for several hours daily, including >2 hours at nights with lights switched off.”
After learning this information, Kumar claimed that the diagnosis was 'fairly obvious' to him: she had "smartphone vision syndrome." “I did not order any investigations nor did I prescribe any medicines (even though Manju requested, as she was anxious). I counseled her about the possible cause for her vision impairment and suggested the minimize the use of smartphone," the doctor wrote.
He had advised the patient to "stop staring at the phone's screen only if considered required," and the patient had taken his advice to heart. Her eyesight returned to normal in a month. Dr. Sudhir added that Manju was perfectly fine at her one-month review.
Her 18-month vision impairment was no longer present. She was now able to see clearly and was unaffected by any floaters or light flashes. Additionally, she no longer experienced a brief loss of vision at night. The doctor advised people to avoid staring at digital device screens for extended periods of time as this could result in serious and disabling vision-related issues.
He advised using a digital screen while taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look at something that was 20 feet away (20-20-20 rule).
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