Dev Singh, 15, got addicted to playing the popular game ‘Pokemon Go’, spending hours on his smartphone.

This continued till the itchiness in his eyes led to redness and pain. Little did his family know that the blue light emissions from digital devices were causing a severe damage to the teen’s eyes.

“One day, he complained of pain in his eyes that had become watery. Not only this, he had regular headache. We decided to take him to a doctor where we got to know that the incessant exposure to the mobile light had affected his eyesight,” said Deep Kiran, his sister who works as a marketing professional.

Little did 15-year-old Dev Singh's family know that the blue light emissions from smartphone were causing a severe damage to the teenager's eyes.

A class XI student, Singh has been now advised to spend less time on any type of gadgets.

According to experts, children who use smartphones and tablets are at a risk of irreversible eye damage.

“The trend is extremely disturbing. We are getting kids as young as three who have eye problems because of watching videos, TV and movies. Parents complain that the kids do not eat if they are not allowed to watch TV,” said Dr Geetha Srinivasan, senior consultant, pediatric ophthalmology, ICARE Hospital.

While these conditions can be treated and prevented with regular screen breaks and exercises, hazards of accrued exposure to blue light are still relatively unknown.

Children are especially at risk when it comes to negative effects of blue light exposure from smartphones and tablets

Research puts blue light as most powerful in suppressing melatonin, the hormone that controls the sleep-wake cycle.

Children are especially at risk when it comes to negative effects of blue light exposure. Simran Kaur, another 15- year-old, has a similar story.

“She started to complain of headache regularly. All her work is nowadays done on the computer and in the free time, she is always playing games. No one in our family has weak eyesight but now she has been asked to wear spectacles,” said mother Deepa Kaur.

Doctors add that a lot of homework is nowadays done online, and many children have access to digital devices that they use for longer periods of time.

Studies show the exposure to blue light a couple of hours before bedtime suppresses melatonin and delays deep sleep significantly.

“So cutting back on tech use at night means getting better sleep, making people more productive at both work and school,” added Dr Srinivasan.

The effects of blue light on vision can be wide ranging, depending on how much time a child spends staring the screen.

If we look at the harmful effects from a long-term perspective, it may lead to juvenile macular degeneration and soon, a point may come when the eye cannot see the real colours properly.

Short-term and immediate effects include formation of a red eye, lack of concentration and sleep, bodyache, change in psychological attitude, etc.

“I get about four-five such cases per month. Initially the family is unaware of the cause, but when they bring their children to us, they get to know about the root cause. Overexposure to the smartphone screen has many adverse effects on the physical and psychological behaviour of the children,” said Dr Sanjay K Tandon, a senior consultant- Paediatrics & Neonatology.

A child needs eight hours of peaceful sleep daily to remain fit and active.

Excessive addiction to mobile phones distracts the mind and disturbs his or her sleep-wake cycle.

The risk is less for adult eyes which have a natural defence.

As we age the lens starts getting yellowish which partially blocks out the blue light.

Since children’s eyes are still developing, blue light is able to penetrates much more efficiently and directly into the retina.

“The numbers of cases are increasing and more youngsters are coming to us with the problem. Exposure to blue lights leads to stress, cataract, unstable concentration, headache and retinal degeneration,” said Dr Sanjay Verma, HOD, ophthalmology, Paras Hospital.

Youngsters are advised to spend less time on video gaming.