Screen Time Surge: Digital Devices Linked to Rising Nearsightedness, Study Finds
The association of digital screen time with myopia has been documented, but the dose-response association and safe exposure threshold remain unclear.
Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the dose-response association of time spent on digital screens with myopia risk. Primary research articles investigating the association of exposure to digital screen devices (ie, smartphones, tablets, game consoles, computers, or television) with myopia-related outcomes (ie, prevalent or incident myopia and the rate of myopia progression) were identified by reviewers.
The results of the reviews showed that of 45 studies with 335 524 participants an additional hour of daily screen time was associated with higher odds of myopia. The nonlinear DRMA of 34 studies with 314 910 participants also indicated higher odds of myopia with increasing screen time, ranging from 1 hour of daily exposure to 4 hours. The dose-response curve showed myopia risk increasing significantly between 1 to 4 hours of daily screen time, and then rising more gradually after 4 hours.
Therefore, the authors revealed that in this systematic review and DRMA, a daily 1-hour increment in digital screen time was associated with 21% higher odds of myopia and the dose-response pattern exhibited a sigmoidal shape, indicating a potential safety threshold of less than 1 hour per day of exposure, with an increase in odds up to 4 hours. These findings can offer guidance to clinicians and researchers regarding myopia risk.
Ref: Ha A, Lee YJ, Lee M, Shim SR, Kim YK. Digital Screen Time and Myopia: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(2):e2460026. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.60026
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