LAHORE – A deeply alarming health crisis is emerging among Pakistan’s youth, with experts warning that excessive mobile phone use is causing a widespread epidemic of myopia (nearsightedness) in young children.
The revelation was made during a seminar at Lahore’s Mughal Eye Trust Hospital, hosted by the Pediatric Ophthalmology department.
Professor Seema Qayyum, Head of Pediatric Ophthalmology, presented statistics showing the severity of the problem. “40% of children under the age of 10 are now suffering from myopia,” she stated, adding that this figure is projected to increase by a staggering 14% annually.
Professor Qayyum explained that myopia involves a physical change in the structure of the eye. “[This happens because] children stare at mobile phone screens constantly. They don’t even blink and repeatedly rub their eyes.”
Highlighting the devastating consequences, she revealed that due to mobile phone overuse, “many children have been prescribed distance glasses with high prescriptions, ranging from -7 to -10.”
