DutchNews.nl - DutchNews.nl brings daily news from The Netherlands in English

23 May 2025
Newsletter Donate Advertise
  • News
  • Life in the Netherlands
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
  • Search
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Art and culture
  • Sport
  • Europe
  • Society
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Housing
  • Education
  • News
    • Home
    • Economy
    • Art and culture
    • Sport
    • Europe
    • Society
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
    • Education
  • Life in the Netherlands
    • Latest
    • Opinion
    • Books
    • Travel
    • 10 Questions
    • Learning Dutch
    • Inburgering with DN
    • Food & Drink
    • Ask us anything
  • Jobs
  • Podcast
  • About us
    • Team
    • Donate
    • Advertise
    • Writing for Dutch News
    • Contact us
    • Privacy
    • Newsletter
  • Search

Young children glued to their screen at risk of eye problems

April 15, 2024
Hundreds of young children have their own phones. Photo: Depositphotos.com

Short-sightedness among young children is becoming more common because they are spending too much time staring at screens, eye hospitals are warning.

There are no exact national figures but the eye departments at hospitals across the country are reporting a clear upward trend in the number of young children with problems.

“It has been going on for years and it’s only getting worse,” Maastricht University  child eye specialist Jilke Beinsberger told Nu.nl. “We think that in a couple of years over 50% of teens will need glasses.”

Orthoptist Lieke Gouma of the Rotterdam eye hospital said waiting lists are growing for children who need glasses because they have trouble reading what’s on the blackboard.

Young children or teens develop myopia or short-sightedness when they are too close to screens or books, causing objects in the distance to become blurred.

According to Gouma, shortsightedness is not caused by the light emitted by the screens but by the distance to the eyes. “It is much calmer for the eyes if devices are not held up close but because a phone is small children tend to do exactly that. And they want to get a good look at the details of games and videos.”

Experts advise parents to limit screen time and encourage children to alternate looking at their screen with other activities.

They should also teach their children the 20-20-2 rule, which means they watch the screen for 20 minutes and then train their eyes on distant objects for the same amount of time. They also advise two hours of playing outside a day because daylight helps the development of healthy eyes.

Share this article
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Copy URL
Children Health Society Tech
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.

We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.

Make a donation
Latest
Show more
Fewer international students starting bachelor degrees in NL
MPs urge cabinet to join banned Pride march in Budapest
Dutch house prices up 10% on a year ago, latest figures show
Foundations and the future: what you need to think about
Highway to hell: confessions of a would-be Ring reveller
NewsHomeEconomyArt and cultureSportEuropeSocietyEnvironmentHealthHousingEducation
Life in the NetherlandsLatestOpinionBooksTravel10 QuestionsLearning DutchInburgering with DNFood & DrinkAsk us anything
About usTeamDonateAdvertiseWriting for Dutch NewsContact usPrivacyNewsletter
© 2025 DutchNews | Cookie settings

Help us to keep providing you information about coronavirus in the Netherlands.

Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days!

We could not provide this service without you. If you have not yet made a contribution, you can do so here.

The DutchNews.nl team

Donate now

Dutchnews Survey

Please help us making DutchNews.nl a better read by taking part in a short survey.

Take part now