Latest news with #BryceAppelbaum
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
How screen time is ‘locking up' kids' vision and causing behavioral issues
On average, children spend a staggering seven to eight hours per day on screens, and one expert is warning that we're not seeing the full picture of these devastating devices. 'Screen time has become the new pandemic and it's ruining all of our eyes and brains,' Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, board-certified optometrist, tells The Post. He noted that in addition to cognitive, social, and emotional development, screen time negatively affects vision development — and could be partially to blame for the rising cases of behavioral issues. Advertisement 3 In addition to cognitive, social, and emotional development, screen time negatively affects vision development and could be partially to blame for the rising cases of behavioral issues. Africa Studio – 'We get locked in and collapse our periphery and get this tunnel vision, and then we get the dopamine release in our brain, and it makes us want to come back for more and more,' Appelbaum said. So yes, screens are addictive — but the problem he's pinpointed is that they can also impact kids' still-developing eyes. And when kids have functional vision issues, the doc said, the symptoms can look a lot like ADHD. What are screens doing to kids' eyes? The visual skills needed for screen engagement are vastly different than those needed to engage in a three-dimensional space, he explained. Advertisement 'Vision is intended to guide our movement, not to be staring at these machines all day long,' he said. 'We need to maintain that flexibility. When we're on screens for too long, our focusing muscles — the inside muscles behind the eyes that make things clear — are literally locked up and under tension.' According to Appelbaum, these inner muscles are not designed to work that hard for an extended period of time, and tasking them with bearing that load leads to inflexible visual systems and inflexible visual thinking. 'Children don't have the brain and vision development to handle staring at screens,' he said. Advertisement 'That's going to be a kid who has ants in their pants or is listening to the teacher with their ears rather than with their eyes.' Dr. Bryce Appelbaum 'It's creating a world of kids with a visual system that's locked up, causing nearsightedness, mental health and depth perception issues, and poor interpersonal connection because we're stuck on these 2D devices, inches from our face, blasting all this high-energy light at us.' Previous research published in JAMA Pediatrics has shown that children should be prohibited from screen time until the age of 3, as it can lead to developmental delays. 3 Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, board-certified optometrist, tells The Post that screen time is the new pandemic. Dr. Bryce Appelbaum / Facebook But why would vision problems lead to behavioral ones? Advertisement Researchers at Drexel University discovered that babies and toddlers who are allowed screen time are more likely to display atypical sensory behaviors associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Appelbaum maintains that excessive screen time compromises the development of functional vision, creating a scenario where the eyes don't work together to support coordination or focus. Convergence insufficiency — an eye coordination problem that makes it difficult for the eyes to focus on near objects such as books or computer screens — is commonly misdiagnosed as ADD or ADHD-like behavior. 'Somebody that can make their eyes point in the same direction — great. But then after 30 seconds, if they have this fragile coordination, that's going to be a kid who has ants in their pants or is listening to the teacher with their ears rather than with their eyes,' he said. A 2024 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed a shocking uptick in ADHD diagnoses among American children. In contrast to screen-based learning that became ubiquitous during COVID-19 lockdowns, old school educational practices like copying from the blackboard require the visual flexibility of going from near to far, activating the inner and outer eye muscles to strengthen and work synergistically. 3 A 2024 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed a shocking uptick in ADHD diagnoses among American children. – Advertisement 'Reading print requires different eye movements across the page that are more sequenced, methodical and organized than on a screen. With a screen, you can dart your eyes all over the place, take in a lot of the information, but you don't have the eye movement control needed for other tasks,' he said. How can parents protect the visual and behavioral health of their children? Priority number one is limiting screen time. A 2024 study found that reduced daily screen time helped children better process their emotions and improve their social interactions. Advertisement Another helpful strategy is to encourage physical activity, blinking, and vision breaks during periods of screen use. 'The eyes are a muscle; if you were to squeeze your fists for an extended period of time, after a few seconds, your hands start to hurt. But if you let go and come back and let go and come back, you release that tension.' Appelbaum noted that digital performance lenses can be a support system for developing eyes as they make it easier for the brain to access and utilize vision. Advertisement 'If you train the eye-brain connection and make it so that you have robust tracking, focusing, convergence, and visual processing, then screens are less terrible and they're not going to impact development and life the way they would otherwise.' Appelbaum maintains that incorporating limits and strategies to protect the eyes guarantees success in the future. 'You can develop the right visual foundation to thrive in this digital world. It just requires a lot of brain and vision training.'
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Could your child's ADHD really be an undiagnosed vision issue?
Are we seeing the signs and symptoms of ADHD clearly? A 2024 report from the CDC revealed a staggering uptick in ADHD diagnoses among American children. But many of these young patients could actually be suffering from an undiagnosed problem that can be detected with a more thorough vision test, board-certified optometrist Bryce Appelbaum, O.D., FCOVD tells The Post. Advertisement 4 Functional vision is compromised when the eyes aren't working together to support coordination or focus. Alexis S/ – What is functional vision? ADHD, or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, is a developmental disorder characterized by inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior — but Appelbaum says that many of these symptoms are 'identical' to ones for functional vision issues. Functional vision is compromised when the eyes don't work together to support coordination or focus. Essentially, 'the muscles responsible for clarity are having a hard time turning on, staying turned on, or having flexibility,' Appelbaum said. A common vision diagnosis that looks like ADD or ADHD-like behavior is convergence insufficiency, an eye coordination problem that makes it difficult for the eyes to focus on near objects, such as books or computer screens. Advertisement 'A change in eye movement is a change in attention, whether voluntary or involuntary. If we can't control our eye movements, we can't control our attention,' he said. How functional vision problems impact behavior According to Appelbaum, people with convergence insufficiency are three times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. But standard eye tests fail to accurately measure functional vision, focusing instead on eyesight and eye health. 'A thorough functional vision exam goes beyond just the ability to see; it looks at that eye-brain connection,' he explained. Advertisement 'Somebody that can make their eyes point in the same direction — great. But then after 30 seconds, if they have this fragile coordination, that's going to be a kid who has ants in their pants or is listening to the teacher with their ears rather than with their eyes.' 4 Appelbaum believes every child should have a thorough, comprehensive functional vision test before kindergarten to ensure they're visually ready for learning and eventually, reading. Prostock-studio – Appelbaum said missed or misdiagnosed vision problems can result in unnecessary struggles in the classroom and beyond. Advertisement 'Children can struggle with reading or navigating through space, or even with ball sports or social interaction, because the input from their eyes to their brain is scattered and not filtered appropriately,' he said. What can be done about it? Even though the eyes are the body's dominant sensory system, two out of three children enter school without ever having a vision screening. Appelbaum believes every child should have a thorough, comprehensive functional vision test before kindergarten to ensure they're visually ready for learning and, eventually, reading. Kids can literally go off medication after doing the right type of work… They can focus their eyes so they can focus their mind. Bryce Appelbaum Once a functional vision problem has been diagnosed, it can be treated and, in most cases, corrected with vision performance training. 'It's like PT for the eyes, but really for the brain through the eyes,' he said. 'With the right type of work, you can raise somebody's awareness of what they're doing so they can learn how to self-correct and self-monitor until the eyes and brain are working fluidly together as a team.' 4 Appelbaum said missed or misdiagnosed vision problems can result in unnecessary struggles in the classroom and beyond. linkedin/dr-bryce-appelbaum Treating ADHD Advertisement One in nine children aged 3-17 is diagnosed with ADHD, but a 2021 study in JAMA Network Open reported 'convincing evidence was found that ADHD is overdiagnosed in children and adolescents.' For people with milder symptoms, 'the harms associated with an ADHD diagnosis may often outweigh the benefits,' the researchers concluded. ADHD is typically treated with a combination of behavior therapy and stimulant medication, the latter of which comes with a slew of side effects and drawbacks. The array of stimulant medications used to treat the disorder — Vyvanse, Adderall, Concerta and Ritalin, to name a few — may be accompanied by adverse side effects. Advertisement 4 ADHD is typically treated with a combination of behavior therapy and stimulant medication, the latter of which comes with a slew of side effects and drawbacks. David L/ – Stimulants can cause appetite loss, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, changes in blood pressure and heart rate, and more. Drug misuse was also suggested among other 'potential harms' noted by the CDC. In 2022, the Drug Enforcement Agency issued a warning to manufacturers of ADHD drugs that it was concerned about 'aggressive marketing practices' by companies — in particular, telehealth providers such as Cerebral — that could be driving excessive prescriptions. Advertisement Appelbaum believes children with behavioral issues rooted in vision problems can quickly and efficiently transition off these medications. 'Kids can literally go off medication after doing the right type of work because their eyes and brain are working together, and the need for stimulation is gone. They can focus their eyes so they can focus their mind,' he said. For Appelbaum, the mission to educate parents about the relationship between vision and behavioral issues is a personal one. As a child, he struggled with focusing in the classroom and responding on the soccer field. His father, an optometrist, and mother, an occupational therapist, 'put together a plan of action to help facilitate the development that was necessary for me to soar in life.' Advertisement This plan included vision performance training. 'This was 37 years ago. What took me years we can now accomplish in a matter of months based on innovations, new protocols. We see improvements rather quickly, especially when the brain has more opportunities for learning.' Appelbaum maintains that while vision testing and training can benefit children diagnosed with ADHD, the positive effects are available to adults as well. 'Any brain at any age can learn new tricks,' he said. 'We need to put our vision first and look into the eye-brain connection, which goes beyond just going to the eye doctor and seeing if you need glasses. We must look at the functional visual skills because so much of our potential can be unlocked through vision.'
CBS News
29-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Does your child have ADHD or vision problems? Optometrist says both share similar symptoms
Does your child have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or a functional vision problem? Neuro-optometrist Dr. Bryce Appelbaum, a Maryland-based doctor board certified in vision therapy and graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry, says an ADHD diagnosis isn't complete without ruling out a functional vision problem. "Symptoms of ADD or ADHD and functional vision problems are so, so similar," he said. "If our eyes can't coordinate together as a team. If the inside muscles of the eyes are having a hard time focusing and making something clear and keeping it clear, from difficulty tracking our eyes, it's so much harder to sustain visual attention than it should be, and our mind's ability to stay focused is deeply embedded in our eye's ability to stay focused." So, how can this impact a child's behavior? "A child who is squirmy with desk work, loses their place with reading or prefers to rely on their ears rather than their eyes in the classroom setting or reading at home with mom or dad, those are clear signs of a functional vision problem impacting their ability to use their eyes together," Dr. Appelbaum said. For parents and teachers, Dr. Appelbaum says they can start assessing the child by looking at their performance. "A smart child whose performance drops throughout the day, or a child who is avoiding reading, preferring to be read to, or a child whose even having a hard time maintaining eye contact. Those are clear signs that vision is not guiding, leading and isn't developed like it's intended to." Dr. Appelbaum says research shows one in 10 kids has a vision problem significant enough to impact learning. More than 80 percent of what a child learns in the classroom comes through the visual processing of information. For more about functional vision problems, follow Dr. Appelbaum on Instagram . Additional information can be found online at MyVisionFirst and ScreenFit .
