Patna: A silent eye-health crisis is showing up in preschool and kindergarten classrooms across Bihar, with doctors reporting a sharp rise in children wearing corrective spectacles at a very young age. Ophthalmologists say childhood myopia, or near sightedness, has increased rapidly after the pandemic, driven by prolonged screen exposure and shrinking outdoor playtime.Doctors at Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), Patna, said the trend is no longer limited to urban pockets. The ophthalmology department is seeing five to 10 new paediatric patients every day, mostly below 15 years, with severe myopia, computer vision syndrome or dry eyes. Many of them, doctors said, have a history of long mobile phone use, online classes, gaming or video viewing at home.A hospital-based cross-sectional study at the department of ophthalmology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College and Hospital (JLMCH), Bhagalpur, has underlined the scale of the problem. Conducted from May 5, 2025, to April 30, 2026, the study found 76% prevalence of myopia among symptomatic schoolchildren brought for visual screening. Mild myopia was found in 42.7% of the participants, moderate myopia in 21.3% and high myopia in 12%.The study concluded that excessive screen time was independently and strongly associated with childhood myopia in the eastern Indian cohort. It recommended immediate school-based ophthalmic screening programmes, structured screen-time limitation policies and promotion of outdoor activity as evidence-based preventive measures.Dr Pummy Roy, head of ophthalmology at JNMCH and a member of the research team, said doctors have been counselling parents to push children towards outdoor activities. She said parents were being advised to enrol children in sports, dance and similar activities so that their dependence on screens reduces and their eyes get relief from constant near work.At IGIMS, professor and chief of the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Dr Bibhuti P Sinha, described the rise in myopia as a “curse of development” and said the situation had worsened after Covid-19. “There were online classes during Covid-19 and children have become addicted to mobile phones and gadgets,” he said. He advised parents to ensure at least two hours of outdoor activity every day, saying it helps relax the eyes and may reduce the risk of worsening myopia.Sinha said patient numbers at IGIMS were continuing to rise, indicating that the problem was deepening with time. Doctors said delayed diagnosis often results in children struggling in classrooms, sitting too close to television screens, rubbing their eyes frequently or complaining of headaches.City-based ophthalmologist Dr Pragya Rai said excessive screen exposure among infants and toddlers was also a major concern for overall development. She said parents should avoid handing phones to very young children to keep them quiet or engaged for long periods, especially during meals and bedtime.