PETALING JAYA, Jan 31 — Consultant ophthalmologist Dr Narendran Muthukrishnan is concerned about the number of children who have to wear spectacles to correct their vision.

He believes one of the contributing factors to the rise in children wearing glasses is the usage of electronic gadgets.

He said while there were no studies about the age and number of children who wore glasses in the country, he believed the figure would be significant.

Dr Narendran said long hours of exposure to electronic gadgets could cause refractive errors such as long-sightedness, short-sightedness or astigmatism in children.

“Not only will children adopt anti-social behaviour because they are attached to their devices, it will also cause problems for their vision. Children as young as two years have to wear glasses now,” he said.

Dr Narendran said to combat the problem, parents must reduce the use of electronic gadgets and take their children for regular eye check-ups.

“Do not let children spend too much time on their devices. And they should not use the devices three hours before bedtime.

“If there is a need to wear glasses as recommended by optometrists, then do so,” he said.

Asked if corrective surgery such as lasik was recommended for children, he said it was not advisable.

“The minimum age to perform corrective surgery is 18 years old. Between the age of one and 18, children’s eyes are still developing,” he said.