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It is high time we wondered why our natural eyesight is hard to maintain today. According to “A systematic review and meta-analysis in Nepal” published in Nepal Journal of Ophthalmology, 8.4 percent of children suffer from refractive errors, with myopia present in 7.1 percent. It’s alarming how many children are losing their ability to see clearly before they even reach adulthood. The issue is wide ranging, from children to the elderly, showing up as myopia, hypermetropia, presbyopia and other related conditions. According to WHO, at present at least 2.2bn people around the world have a vision impairment.

The school’s role in a healthy vision

Schools should conduct regular free eye checkups, treat any errors and make accommodations in the learning environment accordingly. Proper and stable lighting should be managed in the classroom avoiding glare and dim lights. Likewise, classroom boards should be placed at a healthy distance, comfortable and clear to see. Seating arrangements should be designed accordingly. Yellow pages textbooks and copies should be encouraged as they reflect less light and provide more eye comfort. Textbooks, even for higher grades should have a large font and a clear contrast which reduces eye strain. 

In New Zealand up to date policies and practices to manage health and safety risks around the use of digital devices for students and staff is required under the health and safety work act 2015. Nowadays, classrooms are equipped with smart screens and projectors. While they can be great learning resources they must not be the alternative to physical learning tools as they contribute to increased screen time. Nepal should be in line with New Zealand and create a certain daily time limit.

Schools should promote healthy habits among students which include eye exercise classes, regular breaks and outdoor time.

When screens become the babysitter

Screens today have become the babysitter. With busy schedules, parents find it easier to keep their child occupied with phones or tablets for hours than to engage or supervise them. Some may know its effect but they see it as the only choice. Even in other situations parents do not encourage non screen activities or limit screen time. Parents themselves remain frequently occupied in social media, setting a bad example. A study conducted in Pokhara published in the Journal of Nepal Health Research Council (2020), found that 48.6 percent of children aged five to nine had screen time exceeding two hours per day, the study highlighted parental behavior as a major contributing factor.

It is crucial to inform parents about the adverse effects of such a habit. Similarly, free community activities, classes and designated play space should be made available to engage in screen free alternatives. But it is also to be considered that even with parental discouragement; children remain glued to screens harming mental, physical and social well-being.

Countries such as China, Sweden and Singapore have already introduced legal rules limiting children’s screen time and device usage. In China, children under 18 are allowed only one hour of online gaming, and only on public holidays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sweden and Singapore have age based screen time limits.  Nepal must also direct a clear law limiting non- educational and educational screen usage.

We, as a society must prioritize and protect our young generation. That is, the problem is not just limited to people of young ages but now rather a national health concern. Modern necessity and addiction is causing many to spend hours on the internet. Eye safety precautions are lowly maintained in risky jobs and it is treated as a mere problem. Eye problems in the elderly are often neglected and simply dismissed as a natural part of aging. There are various free awareness programmes and eye treatment being conducted in Nepal. Yet, many are unaware and awareness is not being effectively applied. Basic eye care and treatment are not reached in many places. There is still a lot more to be done in the sector of eye health and this is a call for action.

Uma Regmi

Grade X

Shree Bal Uddhar Secondary School

Budhanilkantha Municipality-10, Kapan, Kathmandu

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. There are two types of migration: internal migration (within a country) and external migration (between countries). There are many causes of migration such as unemployment, climate change, lack of education, natural disasters, lack of health services, and water crisis.

Unemployment: Unemployment is a major cause of migration. People are having difficulty finding jobs. Because of unemployment, people are not getting money for food and clothes.

Lack of education: Lack of education is the major cause of migration. There are good facilities of education in every corner of Nepal. People are coming to Kathmandu from the village.

Lack of health services: Lack of health service is the major cause of migration. There are good facilities of health service in every corner of Nepal. There are no hospitals and health posts in many rural villages.

Climate change: Climate change is the major cause of migration. Due to climate change, there are many natural disasters like floods, landslides etc. So, people are losing their homes, so they migrate from one place to another place.

Natural disaster: Natural disaster is the major cause of migration. It is happening due to climate change. People are losing home due to food, landslides etc.

Water crisis: Water crisis is the major cause of migration. Many people are having difficulty drinking water. Due to climate change the earth is being dry day by day. But many people are wasting water.

There are many ways to solve the migration problem which I have described as follows.

Giving jobs to everyone:  The government should give jobs to everyone. It helps in the finance of our country. There are many benefits. They are reduced poverty and inequality, increased economic growth and improved social well-being.

Building more health posts in rural areas: The government should make more health posts in rural areas. It helps the health status of our country. There are many benefits. They are expand health post network, improve infrastructure and strength healthcare force.

Making industries out of resident areas: We should make factories out of residential areas because it will pollute the city badly. There are many benefits. They decrease noise pollution, save air from getting polluted in cities and decrease traffic.

Proper use of water: We should use water properly. And we should not waste water. Proper use of water is that we should not keep water in a bucket for a long time because it may lead to dengue, appropriate use of water and we should not overuse it.

Giving knowledge to people not to migrate: There are many people who migrate from one place to another place. We should tell them how much our country has lost due to migration.

Prabesh Bhattarai

Grade: VIII

Global Pathashala

Kaushaltar, Bhaktapur 

Our school has assigned a teacher in our school’s dining hall to make sure that nobody wastes food. He is often seen as very assertive about his command. Unless we offer a justifiable explanation for not finishing our meals, he sends us back to our table to clear our plates..

At first, I found this very unfair because he would force us to eat. But later a question came to my mind. Who forces us to take a specific amount of food? The answer justified what he was doing to be right. In fact, two things make us take in more food than we can manage to eat. First, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. Second, we are thoughtless and irrational. If we had expressed our desire to partake a specific amount of food before the kitchen staff, they would certainly have cooperated and given us food accordingly. So, we are the fully responsible people for the wastage of food, aren't we? The wastage of food can be linked with our greedy and apathetic attitudes.

I have seen some people who consider themselves cool at leaving their plate unfinished at public gatherings. Instead, they should consider themselves losers and uncivilized. On the other hand, there are people at parties who pile as many food items on their plate and end up wasting it. It may be because of the greed for food.

So, in order to minimize the food wasting culture, we should start from the individual level by changing our attitudes first. There should also be a culture of shaming the person who shamelessly wastes food. Let us not consider him/her to be cool, shall we? 

Nitisha Basnet

Grade VII

Sanskar Pathshala, Dang

Depression is a widely discussed and prevalent mental disorder worldwide. It is classified as a mood disorder. There are different subtypes of depressive disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Seasonal Affective Depression and Postpartum Depression. However, one subtype that is less talked about is Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), which is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome in women.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder or PMDD is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which is common with around 90 percent of women experiencing mental and physical changes, such as hormonal imbalances, mood swings, abdominal pain, bloating and acne, around seven to 10 days before their menstruation.

PMDD is identified when the severity of PMS symptoms begins impairing daily functioning. It shares a common causal factor with other subtypes of depression: the loss of serotonin. Women with PMDD are unable to produce enough serotonin during the premenstrual phase, leading to abnormal decrease of interest in normal activities, extreme self-critical thoughts, and persistent depressed mood. These symptoms occur alongside other physical symptoms, increased anxiety and often lead to conflicts with others as a social consequence.

A report by Harvard Medical School reveals that 15 percent of women with PMDD attempt suicide and are eager to get hysterectomies, surgical procedures to remove the womb. The suicidal thoughts are also accompanied by occasional thoughts and acts of violence that stem from the negative thinking patterns. Premenstrual issues, including PMDD, have been brought up in legal defenses in various criminal cases. A notable example is the 1981 case of Sandie Craddock in London, who was charged with manslaughter instead of murder after stabbing a co-worker. Her defense argued diminished responsibility based on cyclical violence due to severe premenstrual hormonal changes.

Physically, PMDD is associated with hormonal imbalances involving estrogen and progesterone, pivotal hormones regulating menstrual cycle and pregnancy. These imbalances lead to increased anxiety as well as intense fatigue. Along with amplified fatigue, sleep disruptions and heightened pain sensitivity are characteristics of PMDD. While the pain sensitivity is often linked to abdominal cramps caused by the shedding of the uterine lining, the heightened pain also adversely affects women’s mental well-being. Although unrelated to fertility, some studies link PMDD to irregular and erratic ovulation patterns.

Even though PMDD significantly affects women’s mental health worldwide, Nepal has very limited research on these conditions due to cultural menstrual taboos and general misunderstandings about PMDD. Available data reveal a high prevalence of premenstrual symptoms among young women in Nepal. A study of medical students at Kathmandu Medical College reported that 94 percent of females aged 17 to 22 experienced at least one premenstrual symptom, with 20.1 percent meeting criteria for PMS including insomnia. These findings underscore the true extent and impact of PMDD in Nepal, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted research and culturally sensitive health education.

A BBC report describes the case of a 33-year-old woman who suffered from severe depressive symptoms for two weeks each month when she often clashed with loved ones. The remaining weeks, she was cheerful and outgoing and tried to amend her relationships. This stark behavioral shift led to a misdiagnosis of bipolar disorder, highlighting how PMDD can be misinterpreted, while endangering both their mental well being and their reproductive health.

Despite its serious impact, the misunderstanding tied to this disorder, even by healthcare professionals, invites the lack of awareness and standardized screening protocols as one of the major challenges in treating PMDD. Many women suffer in silence, attributing their symptoms to ‘normal’ PMS or being misdiagnosed with disorders, such as bipolar disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. However, new developments have led to more precise diagnostic tools, including daily symptom tracking and hormonal assessments. Treatment approaches now include a combination of lifestyle adjustments, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Changes in lifestyle are also recommended by experts, such as incorporating yoga, nutritious and healthy diet and appropriate reproductive care into one’s life.

While PMDD shares similarities with PMS and mood disorders, it stands out as a distinct and serious condition that profoundly affects a woman’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being. PMDD demands broader recognition, diagnostic practices and specialized care. As awareness grows and more women come forward with their experiences, it becomes clear that addressing PMDD is evidently a matter of reproductive health but also, a pressing mental health priority.

Meghana Saud

St Xavier’s College, Maitighar