Half of Brits are going to be short-sighted after spending too much time looking at phones

BRITAIN is facing a “tsunami of short-sightedness” unless Theresa May acts to limit kids’ screen time – a top eye surgeon claims.

David Allamby said half the population could have myopia by 2050 given the amount of time children are spending with their phones – up from 30 per cent now.

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One in ten could be at risk of torn retinas or even losing their sight.

Mr Allamby of Focus Clinics said Ministers had to encourage children to put down their devices and get “outside”.

A survey in Ireland three years ago found the proportion of kids suffering from myopia has doubled from 7.2 per cent to 16.4 per cent in the past 50 years.

He said: “We are sleepwalking into an epidemic.

“Screen time isn’t just affecting the mental health of school children it could also be ruining their eyesight too. We face a tsunami of short-sightedness.”

Academics argue that modern lifestyles are putting a huge strain on the ciliary muscle – which ends up lengthening the eye. This in turn increases the risk of glaucoma, retinal tears and even detachment.

Mr Allamby said the concern was the growing risk of Brits developing problems at a younger age. “The younger these problems start, the more serious they become at a later date.”

Experts warn that modern lifestyles – at-desk working and a lack of daylight – has led to a sharp rise in eyesight issues around the world.

Nearly 97 per cent of 19 year-old conscripts in South Korea were found to have myopia.

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The Sun on Saturday revealed Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies will recommend limiting kids to two-hours-a-time on their devices.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb has also separately called for a ban on pupils taking smartphones into school.

Digital Minister Margot James is also later today expected to confirm a bid to force social media firms by law to sign a code of conduct protecting young and vulnerable users.