Parents warned one item in children's bedrooms could harm them as they sleep

Parents have been issued a stark warning about a common item found in their children's bedrooms. Unbeknownst to many, this popular light could be causing harm. Dr Saurabh Sethi has advised that having a night light could potentially damage your child's vision. He suggests that the seemingly harmless night light could be "silently damaging" their eyesight over time. To safeguard your child's , he claims it's best to steer clear of certain types. While opinions on the extent of potential damage vary, he believes they could cause issues in the future.

He recently took to social media to share a video highlighting these potential problems. As he shared his , he revealed crucial information all should be aware of.

He stated: "Kids who sleep with night lights or dim lights are more likely to develop myopia - that is nearsightedness - as they grow. But those who sleep in a completely dark room are at much lower risk."

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He explained further: "Here is why. Even with eyes closed, blue light can pass through kids' thinner eyelid skin, and it stimulates melanopsin cells in the eye, messing with the circadian rhythms and eye development.

"This can cause eyes to grow too long, leading to blurry distance vision. And the fix - blackout curtains, avoid blue or white night lights and opt for a dim red light far from the bed, if needed."

What is myopia?

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a common eye condition that makes distant objects appear blurry while close ones remain clear. This happens when the shape of the eye causes light rays to bend incorrectly.

Instead of focusing on the retina at the back of the eye, these light rays focus in front of it. The condition typically develops during childhood and adolescence.

It can be a hereditary condition that usually stabilises between the ages of 20 and 40. An eye test can determine if you have myopia, and glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery can help with the blurry vision.

While some health experts suggest night lights could affect a child's eyes, research findings are mixed. Currently, there's no definitive scientific proof that blue night lights directly cause myopia, although some early studies hint at a possible connection.

Factors such as genetics and less time spent outdoors are more likely to contribute to the development of myopia. Just because your child uses a night light doesn't mean they'll develop the condition.

However, a study in 1999 did find a potential link. The research centred on 479 children aged between two and 16.

"Our findings suggest that the absence of a nightly period of full darkness in early childhood may be an important risk factor in the development of nearsightedness," , senior investigator and professor of ophthalmology at the Scheie Eye Institute in Pennsylvania.

"The study does not establish that night time lighting during early childhood is a direct cause of myopia.

"Still, it would seem advisable for infants and young children to sleep at night without artificial lighting in the bedroom until further research can evaluate all the implications of our results."