News
Shortsightedness among children on the rise due to digital screen addiction
Giving smartphones to pacify children is making matters worse
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Myopia among children was on the rise due to increased exposure to digital screens, Consultant Paediatric Eye Surgeon at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children Dr. Anusha Tennekumbura stated in a recent televised interview.
“Children now spend long hours staring at phones, computers, or TV screens. At the same time, they spend less time outdoors. This shift is altering the structure of their eyes,” she explained.
While prolonged exposure to digital screens was harmful to adults, the impact on children was significantly greater as their bodies were still developing, Dr. Tennekumbura said, noting that according to guidelines in developed countries, children under 18 months should not be exposed to digital screens at all. “Children aged between 18 months and three years can watch age-appropriate, quality programmes for less than one hour a day, and parents should be with them. Children in kindergarten and primary school should have screen time limited to under 90 minutes a day. Older children, who often require technology for educational purposes, should restrict non-educational screen use to less than two hours a day,” she said.
She also raised concerns about parents increasingly using smartphones to pacify their children. “Many parents give phones to their child before meals, claiming it is the only way to calm them down. This habit is often linked to overfeeding. Parents need to understand that children naturally eat less than adults and will usually consume as much as they need. However, some parents insist their child finishes the entire plate of food they’ve prepared,” she said.
Dr Tennekumbura recommended that children’s vision be tested at the age of four or five. In Sri Lanka, however, children typically had their vision checked for the first time in Grade One, through free school clinics. “If a child’s vision problems are not identified during these Grade One screenings, they may go undetected for several years until the next free clinic,” she noted.
She further emphasised that many children lost their vision due to preventable accidents at home or school. Parents and teachers, she urged, must educate children on safety measures to avoid activities that could lead to injuries and potential vision loss.
Advisory for strong winds and rough seas for Multi-day boats in the Bay of Bengal deep sea areas
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre
Issued at 05.00 p.m. 18 September 2026, valid for the next 24 hours.
PLEASE BE AWARE!
The atmospheric disturbance to the North of the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, is likely to develop into a low pressure area within the next 24 hours.
Due to its influence, wind speed over the Bay of Bengal sea areas will increase during the next few days starting from
tomorrow (19th).
The wind speed in the sea areas marked under the “Advisory” category on the map below will increase to 55-65 kmph at times and those sea areas will be rough or very rough at times.
Navel and fishing communities engaging the activities over this sea area are advised to be vigilant and be attentive to the future forecasts and bulletins issued by the department of Meteorology in this regards.
Text and Pic by Priyan de Silva
Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC) Ranga Dissanayake has questioned whether some promises contained in the National People’s Power (NPP) manifesto, A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life, could be fulfilled even if the government wanted to implement them.
Dissanayake raised the issue during a discussion following the release of the third biannual report on manifesto monitoring by the March 12 Movement, at the BMICH, on Wednesday.
He questioned whether the report had taken into account legal and institutional constraints affecting the implementation of certain pledges.
Citing the proposal to establish Anti-Corruption Investigation Offices in each district, Dissanayake said such offices could be established only with the agreement of CIABOC and that amendments to the Anti-Corruption Act would be necessary.
He also referred to the pledge to abolish the Executive Presidency, noting that successive governments had made similar commitments since 1994. He questioned whether there had been adequate consideration of where the powers vested in the Executive President would be transferred if the system were abolished.
On the proposal to establish a Public Prosecutor, Dissanayake questioned whether the Government intended to maintain the office alongside the Attorney General, who currently performs prosecution-related functions.
Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Reforms and Electoral Studies (IRES) Manjula Gajanayake said Dissanayake’s remarks should be regarded as his personal views and not as Government policy.
Monitoring and Evaluation Consultants M. Thilakarajah and D.D. Mataharaarachchi presented the third-phase findings, covering January to June 2026.
The corruption case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against former Navy Commander, Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda, and Yoshitha Rajapaksa was set for a pre-trial conference by the Colombo High Court.
The case was taken up before the Colombo High Court on Thursday (17), when the accused, who are currently out on bail, appeared before the court. After considering the submissions made, the court ordered that the case be called for a pre-trial conference.
The CIABOC had filed the case against the accused, alleging that a corruption offence was committed by sending Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, for training at the Royal Naval College in the United Kingdom despite him not having the required qualifications.
Advisory for strong winds and rough seas for Multi-day boats in the Bay of Bengal
Showers in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Galle, Matara, Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya Districts
Some NPP manifesto promises may be difficult to fulfil – CIABOC DG
Yoshitha and ex-Navy chief Karannagoda’s case fixed for PTC
Court orders probe into Wimal’s rally speech
Court to rule on Dilith’s writ petition on September 30
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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