Internet gaming dependancy threatening teen imaginative and prescient, well-being

From Nur Hidayah Mustapa, Wong Li Ping and Lim Yin Cheng

Every yr on World Sight Day (Oct 9), the theme “Love Your Eyes” reminds the world to guard considered one of our most important senses. While most discussions deal with cataracts, refractive errors and entry to screening, one other menace is quietly reshaping how we see — the rise of extreme display use and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) amongst adolescents.

The new digital dependancy

In in the present day’s digital world, screens dominate practically each side of life: in studying, leisure, and social interplay. For many teenagers, gaming affords pleasure, connection and achievement. But what begins as leisure can evolve right into a compulsive behavior that disrupts sleep, research and well being.

Recognised by the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association, IGD is a behavioural dependancy marked by lack of management, prioritising gaming over day by day life, and persevering with regardless of hurt. Globally, round 3% of web customers meet IGD standards, with greater charges in Asia.

In Malaysia, native research counsel that round 3% to 4% of adolescents present signs per IGD. This determine is anticipated to rise because the variety of younger on-line avid gamers continues to develop.

Contributing elements embody unsupportive parenting, peer strain, social isolation, and the immersive design of contemporary video games.

IGD not often happens in isolation. It typically co-exists with playing or substance use, and is linked to anxiousness, melancholy, and poor educational efficiency. Teens dealing with bullying or stress could use gaming as an escape, reinforcing dependency.

When the eyes start to tire

The human eye was not constructed for extended publicity to synthetic gentle or quickly transferring digital photographs. Prolonged screentime or gaming classes can set off Digital Eye Strain (DES), which now impacts greater than half of school-aged kids.

Symptoms embody:

• dry, itchy, or watery eyes
• blurred imaginative and prescient and complications
• neck and again ache from poor posture.

For growing eyes, the consequences are extra extreme because it will increase the danger of fast myopia (short-sightedness), eye misalignment and coordination points.

The physique pays the value

Excessive gaming and extended display publicity also can disrupt one’s total bodily and psychological well-being. Extended engagement with digital screens can disrupt circadian rhythms by way of blue gentle publicity, contributing to insomnia, daytime fatigue, and poor sleep high quality.

Physical inactivity throughout gaming will increase the danger of musculoskeletal discomfort, postural pressure and weight acquire. Psychologically, extreme gaming is linked to irritability, anxiousness, social withdrawal and lowered focus, forming a cycle of visible fatigue and cognitive decline that may finally impair educational efficiency.

Parents and academics typically discover early warning indicators like drained eyes, irritability, late-night gaming, and decreased motivation. Sadly, these indicators are sometimes dismissed as “normal teenage behaviour”, delaying important intervention.

 A wake-up name

The 2025 World Sight Day theme, “Love Your Eyes”, is a well timed reminder to practise digital hygiene and accountable display habits. Experts suggest:

•  The 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look 20 toes away for 20 seconds.
• Blink typically to maintain eyes moist and refreshed.
• Use lubricating eye drops when wanted.
• Adjust your workstation ergonomics: hold screens an arm’s size away and barely beneath eye degree.
• Take common breaks and restrict display use earlier than bedtime.

Technology like blue-light filters, anti-reflective coatings and high-resolution shows can cut back pressure, however they need to complement, not substitute, wholesome habits.

 Helping teenagers see past the display

Protecting younger eyes requires collective effort. Schools can educate digital well-being, whereas mother and father can set gaming limits and encourage outside play. Simple way of life steps, common breaks, screen-free meals, constant sleep — could make an enormous distinction.

Gaming will not be inherently dangerous; it turns into problematic solely when moderation and stability are misplaced.

Encouraging teenagers to have interaction in gaming responsibly, alongside bodily and social actions, helps them keep each psychological and visible well-being.

Seeing the long run clearly

The message is easy: safeguarding our eyesight includes extra than simply carrying glasses or looking for medical remedy; it requires adapting to a world dominated by screens.

Our eyes are the primary to point when our digital habits develop into extreme, however their warnings are sometimes ignored.

Let’s genuinely “love our eyes” by blinking extra, gazing into the gap, and utilizing screens correctly.

After all, within the recreation of life, having a transparent imaginative and prescient is probably the most helpful achievement.

Nur Hidayah Mustapa, a PhD candidate; Wong Li Ping, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics; and Lim Yin Cheng, a senior lecturer in occupational and public well being, are all affiliated with the division of social and preventive medication at Universiti Malaya.

The views expressed are these of the writers and don’t essentially replicate these of FMT.