Remember if you buy a pair of designer sunglasses you could be a winner…

Now that our collective focus revolves around dodging the Covid-19 virus, we have noted that attention to children’s eyesight has been somewhat neglected and we are concerned that online schooling means screen time has become an important part of learners’ lives. You, however, can help preserve your youngster’s vision – no special glasses required.

More time in front of screens, whether for school, for entertainment, or for social connection can result in:

• eye strain,
• dry eye
• fatigue
• Headaches

We offer simple ways for parents to protect their children’s eyes from the harmful effects of digital devices. The first being keep a safe distance from the device. Most youngsters’ eyes are about 28cms from their devices – particularly their cell phones – when they should be about 41cms away.

At a close distance, eyes turn in to focus on the screen instead of being relaxed and in a straight-ahead position when looking at something further away. In time, this turning in of the eyes can lead to fatigue of the eye muscles, which can cause headaches or other vision problems. Also, although there is no proof that that there is a link between screen use and myopia (near sightedness) in children, the increase of 25% in the condition over the past 40 years seems meaningful. If left untreated, myopia can lead to the risk of developing serious eye diseases in later life. These include:

• macular degeneration
• cataracts
• glaucoma and
• retinal detachment

A helpful rule is to get your child to place his/her elbow on the table and then rest his/her head in that hand. From this position, he/she must lift the elbow and touch the screen. That is the closest working distance one should be from the screen – and the screen should be at eye level, or a little below. You should not look up at the screen.

During Mother’s Month we’ll have more information on eye-care for children, so keep reading – and, to ‘open your eyes’ to vision, we recommend you read our previous blogs – or visit us in The Atrium Berea, 430 Peter Mokaba Ridge, in Overport, where you will receive professional advice. We are here to help you help your and your children’s eyes.