DAYANAND MEDICAL COLLEGE & HOSPITAL LUDHIANA

The school screening camps are a crucial approach to the eye problems in the community. The childhood blindness and visual impairment are as important and perhaps more devastating and disabling than adult onset blindness. Dayanand Medical College and Hospital and Dept of Ophthalmology organized a free eye checkup camp and seminar on 'Smart use of smart devices' for the students of 4th,5th, 6th and 7th standard of Sacred Heart convent school, BRS Nagar.

A team of doctors led by Dr Priyanka Arora, Associate Professor, Dept of Opthalmology, made the students aware about the harmful effects of prolonged usage of smartphones and gave them advice about how to prevent the same. The pros and cons of using smart devices were discussed with the students. They were told to limit their screen time and rather focus on other outdoor activities as well

Dr Priyanka Arora said, “Around 1000 students were screened at the camp. We were surprised that quite a few students had myopia and will need vision correction. These students were previously not aware of the condition. Prolonged usage of smartphones affects us not only visually but it affects us mentally and physically as well. There is a need for parental intervention to keep a check on the duration of screen exposure in young children.”

Students were checked for refractive errors and other eye problems.