Adolescents and young adults see less and less well. This is what the 2017 visual health barometer reveals to be carried out by Opinion Way for the National Association for the Improvement of Sight (Asnav) and relayed by France Inter. In question ? Overexposure to screens.
Breaks are recommended
The barometer reveals that 16-24 year olds spend an average of 9 hours and 57 minutes per day in front of screens, against 6 hours and 22 minutes for all French people. And unsurprisingly, it is the smartphone that is most popular with young people, since they use it four hours a day. This omnipresence of screens obviously has consequences on their vision: 41% of adolescents and young adults questioned have difficulty seeing from a distance, against 29% in 2016. 16-24 year olds are also more and more likely to suffer of visual fatigue (40% compared to 36% in 2016), myopia (30% against 25% in 2016) and astigmatism (18% against 14% in 2016).
To reverse the trend, adolescents and young adults must change their relationship with screens, according to Asnav. At the microphone of France Inter, Catherine Jégat, spokesperson for the association, recommends breaks of 5 to 10 minutes. “At such times, it is advisable to look into the distance, at least 5 meters away, which will rest the eye and preferably in natural light,” she explains.
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