Experts stress outdoor time and public health measures to tackle childhood myopia
Reduced outdoor time and prolonged near-work, including screen use, may be contributing to rising myopia among children, experts said, stressing the need for early screening and stronger public health measures
Experts convened via a webinar hosted by The Hindu on August 30, 2026, to address growing concerns over childhood myopia and the dangers of misinformation circulating on social media. Vasumathy Vedantham, an ophthalmologist, and Vasudha Kemmanu, a public eye health specialist, emphasized the need for parents to critically evaluate health information found online, urging reliance on scientifically proven medical advice over unverified products or remedies.
Dr. Kemmanu stressed that limited outdoor activity among children has contributed to the rise in myopia cases, advocating for stronger government policies to encourage outdoor play and mitigate the epidemic's impact. Both experts called for government and educational institutions to collaborate in fostering environments that support children's eye health and the importance of routine eye examinations to detect early indicators of visual impairment.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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