Amid online classes, students facing medical issues

With online classes running seamlessly after lockdown that was announced due to Covid- 19, the numbers of students who are facing sleep disruption, back pain and other psychological issues due to spending time on screen have started visiting hospitals in the national capital.

“There are frequent cases coming in the hospital with Some of the children are also suffering from addiction to online games, online bullying and some of them are either stopped interacting with friends and family or talking very less,” Maninder Singh, a senior Orthopaedic Consultant with Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC)

When 10-year-old Simarjit complained of a wrist pain,  Dr Singh realised that the hand-held device the child is using for more than 10 hours a day for classes, exams, and games has sprained his wrist and caused  tendonitis (inflammation of muscles around the wrist).

However, Simarjit is not alone – for more than four months, children across age-groups are taking classes and exams online, making them spend more than usual time before the screen. Doctors at ISIC said that this has caused various physical problems in children such as back pain and lack of sleep while older children are facing psychological problems such as attention deficit and depression.

Most of these children were suggested remedial measures through teleconsultation. “We suggested they use a chair-table combination for such long duration engagements. Also, they should take a 5-minute break every 40 minutes and between classes, looking away from the screen. Apart from healthy, home-cooked food, they must do some or the other form of exercise,” he said.

Dr Prashant Chaudhary HOD Ophthalmology Aakash healthcare super speciality hospital said “We have received about 3-4  cases every now and then of children who have headaches, irritated eyes and blurry vision because they do not take a break from the screen.

“They develop a lot of eye strain because when they're looking at the screen, their eye muscles contract, which causes the strain. This is known as computer vision syndrome, also referred to as digital eye strain. I suggest taking a 20 seconds break to look 20 feet away and blink frequently,” he said.