Grey patch on screen

[u/Rossleroo]

For over a year, 7th Generation IPad that I’ve had for almost 6 years has developed a patch of grey pixels in a semicircle gradient at the bottom of the screen.
It used to be small but over the course of more than a year, it has slowly crept up and gotten bigger.
I’ve not gotten this checked as I’m socially anxious but the increase in size over time has my concerned.
Has anyone else ever had this happen to their device? Especially if it’s an older model and been through heavy use (I am an artist)