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🇱🇹 Lithuania /Health & Science

It is not just screens: what really weakens children’s eyesight and why it emerges before September

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • An optometrist says replacing a phone with books may not rest children’s eyes because both activities require prolonged near focus.
  • A 2026 review of 14 European studies found links between screen-related behavior, near work, less time outdoors and myopia, but did not establish that screens alone cause the condition.
  • Children’s eyes are still developing, and extended near work may increase the risk or progression of myopia, especially among those already predisposed.

Blaming the phone is easy when a child needs a first pair of glasses before the new school year. But optometrist Algita Vaičiulienė says the bigger question is what the child’s entire day looks like, including how long the eyes stay focused on nearby objects and how often they get to look into the distance.

A phone may be followed by a book, drawing, homework or LEGO on the floor. Yet all of those activities still keep the eyes working at close range. “Replacing a phone with another similar activity does not relax the eyes,” Vaičiulienė says.

Replacing a phone with another similar activity does not relax the eyes.

· Algita VaičiulienėThe optometrist explains why switching from screen use to reading or another close-up activity may not provide visual rest.

Screens are not entirely off the hook. A systematic review published in the journal Vision in July 2026 examined 14 European studies from the previous decade involving children and teenagers under 18. The researchers found associations between screen-related behavior, prolonged near work, less time outdoors and myopia. But they stressed that the evidence does not show that screens alone cause short-sightedness.

The child’s eyeball grows, and its axial length changes. Intense and excessive near work may be one factor that increases the risk of myopia.

· Algita VaičiulienėShe describes how eye development and prolonged close-up focus may affect children’s risk of myopia.

Children’s eyes continue to grow during childhood and adolescence, making these years important for the development of myopia. “The child’s eyeball grows, and its axial length changes. Intense and excessive near work may be one factor that increases the risk of myopia,” Vaičiulienė explains. For children already predisposed to the condition, long periods with smart devices may contribute to faster progression.

The practical answer is balance rather than simply swapping one close-up activity for another. After concentrated near work, children should go outside, move, play sports or walk while looking into the distance. As Vaičiulienė puts it, “A walk with the phone in front of your nose does not count.”

A walk with the phone in front of your nose does not count.

· Algita VaičiulienėThe optometrist emphasizes that outdoor time helps only if children actually look into the distance.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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