Pandemic screen time and the looming eye health crisis

“A looming eye health crisis” – these are the words used to describe the situation many Aussies will face if adequate investment is not made over the next five years, according to the peak professional body for optometrists in Australia.

Optometry Australia is calling on the nation’s major political parties to take vision problems more seriously and improve access to optometry care for elderly Australians. It’s one of the reasons why OA is lobbying for $22.6m over five years to encourage more optometrists to provide safe domiciliary eyecare services to vulnerable elderly and immobile Australians. Without it, a looming eye health crisis is on the cards. 93% of Australians over the age of 65 reported vision disorders according to the 2018 National Health Survey and in many instances, this has put added pressure on the public health system and aged care.

According to the Department of Health, around 90% of all blindness and vision impairment in Australia is preventable or treatable if detected early. In addition to preventative measures that target vision loss, early detection has a flow-on effect in preventing other physical injuries which was one reason 90% of Australians say that sight is their most valued sense in the National Health Survey.
The additional funding would assist optometrists to service more Australians via domiciliary eyecare services which will see increased demand as Australia’s ageing population and longer life expectancy grow the size of that cohort each passing year.

As of 2018*, there were more than 13 million people in Australia suffering from one or more chronic eye conditions. Since then, we have lived through a pandemic where the global impact was minimised, courtesy of technology and populations shifted their entire lives online, in front of screens which can be a double-edged sword for eye health according to Healthia CEO, Wesley Coote.

“Screen time has in the past been best consumed in moderation but with the onset of a pandemic, we have seen time spent in front of computers skyrocket where face-to-face meetings were replaced with Zoom calls,” said Coote.

“In some instances, patients were spending several hours on end in front of their screens without adequate techniques to manage their eye health. It’s why we recommend a regular eye check up to all patients just to keep tabs on any potential eye health problems arising that might have a long-term impact on overall wellbeing.”

Alas, screen time amongst professionals in addition to our ageing population are not the only cohorts at risk of healthcare pressure without adequate eye health investment.

Look around at any playground and you’d be hard pressed to find a child that doesn’t actively use a tablet for either entertainment or education. Advances in smart technology have filtered down to expose children to screens right from birth with apps to help settle babies that become fixated on moving objects.

That same National Health Survey that self-reported prevalence of chronic eye conditions in children aged 0–14 in Australia increased from 9.2% in 2008 to 12% in 2018. Sure, it may be coincidental that the steep increase coincided with the emergence of tablets but it also shouldn’t be ignored.

Rising awareness around eye health and children should likely see more undiagnosed vision impairments be addressed at younger ages while preventative measures will be at the forefront of parents’ minds in the post-pandemic world to ensure minimal impact to the sense deemed most valuable by 90% of Australians.

*New eye health data from the 2022 National Health Survey is expected to be released before the end of the year