Children’s eye health in the digital era – Challenges and preventive approaches

Childhood is meant to be a time of discovery, but impaired vision can close doors to books, classrooms and play. According to global studies, every minute a child somewhere in the world loses sight. In India alone, nearly 270,000 children under the age of 15 live with blindness, costing the nation an estimated $118 billion in Gross National Income annually (Orbis International). With nearly one in four Indians below the age of 18 (UNFPA 2025), this challenge represents not only an individual setback but also a profound loss to the nation’s collective potential and future.

The digital era has added another layer to this crisis. Children today are exposed to screens from a very early age, with digital classrooms, smartphones, and online games becoming central to how they learn and interact. While technology offers opportunities for creativity and education, prolonged screen use has led to a surge in digital eye strain in children as young as six, with symptoms such as dryness, blurred vision, headaches and difficulty focusing. Equally worrying is the rise in myopia, or short-sightedness, which global health organisations now classify as a public health challenge. Research shows that long hours of close-up work, whether on screens or books, coupled with limited exposure to natural light, contributes significantly to its spread. Alarmingly, early-onset myopia increases the risk of severe eye diseases later in life, including glaucoma and retinal detachment.

Studies confirm that spending at least two hours outdoors every day can slow myopia progression, yet modern urban lifestyles rarely allow children this simple protective measure. At the same time, children are less likely than adults to articulate visual discomfort, often ignoring early signs of strain. This makes regular eye check-ups and parental monitoring essential. Preventive habits such as the 20-20-20 rule—looking 20 feet away for 20 seconds after every 20 minutes of screen use—along with adjusting screen brightness, maintaining proper posture, and balancing digital time with outdoor play, are crucial in reducing risk.

It is against this backdrop that the ETI Foundation launched the School Eye Health Screening Project in 2023, working across South and Central Delhi and Palwal in Haryana. Supported by Sun Pharma and integrated into the Vidyanjali programme under the Ministry of Education through collaboration with the Directorate of Education (GNCTD), the project combines both intervention and awareness. To date, ETI has successfully screened 24,889 schoolchildren and distributed 2,695 corrective spectacles across 32 schools. The screening process itself is two-tiered, beginning with the Snellen or E-Test and followed by diagnostic vision assessment, ensuring early and accurate detection of vision problems. The initiative goes beyond clinical intervention by engaging teachers, parents and students through interactive sessions and easy-to-use educational materials. These workshops encourage schools to integrate simple preventive measures into their daily routines, fostering a culture of eye care within classrooms and families. ETI has learned that cultivating trust with teachers and administrators is critical, yielding valuable pedagogical insights and enabling follow-up strategies to support children with visual impairments.

Despite these successes, the project has encountered challenges, from school schedules and exam timelines to student absenteeism. Yet each challenge has offered lessons on adaptability and highlighted the importance of partnerships in scaling the programme effectively. The issue of stigma has also been central. Children—especially girls—often hesitate to wear spectacles due to teasing, cultural stereotypes or gendered prejudices. This reluctance can deepen feelings of social exclusion and erode self-confidence. Drawing on research (Khanna et al., 2018; Naidoo et al., 2016), ETI has initiated open conversations within schools to reframe spectacles as tools of empowerment rather than weakness. Parallel discussions on mental health have also emerged, with studies (Wang et al., 2019; Chen et al., 2021) showing how untreated vision problems contribute to social withdrawal, anxiety and diminished quality of life. ETI’s approach therefore combines medical solutions with psychosocial support, acknowledging that healthy vision is closely linked to emotional resilience and overall well-being.

Looking ahead, ETI aims to extend screenings to an additional 15,000 students in Delhi and neighbouring states, with a special focus on underserved communities where access to eye care remains limited. By integrating clinical intervention, preventive education, stigma reduction and mental health support, the foundation is developing a holistic and scalable model that can be replicated nationally.

Ultimately, vision is not just about clarity on a blackboard. It is about ensuring that children are able to see opportunities, participate fully in education and society, and dream of brighter futures. Protecting children’s eye health in the digital age is therefore not only a medical responsibility but also a social imperative—one that determines whether the next generation can step confidently into tomorrow with their eyes wide open.

This article is authored by Sukriti Chauhan, CEO, ETI Services (Empower, Transform, Inspire), New Delhi.