Although technological advances make life much easier, they also threaten health, more importantly eyesight, with rising numbers of shortsighted people both in Europe and Turkey.

For the last 20 years, the number of shortsighted people in Europe has doubled and in Turkey, the prevalence of this condition has scaled up to 65 percent. Stressing that shortsightedness, also called myopia, has become a common problem in Turkey, ophthalmologist Emel Çolakoğlu of Acıbadem Hospital said:

"Smartphones, tablets and other tools of modern technology have made the prevalence of shortsightedness to drop to as young as 3.5 years old. The use of smartphones and tablet computers among school age children is very low in Turkey. As adults look at the screens on their phones for social media and computers for business for longer periods, the risk has been increased. It is a must to take urgent precautions for shortsightedness."

Health experts advise that children should not be introduced to cellphones and tablet computers before they reach the age of 7 to protect their eye health.