Digital eye strain

Optometrists remind parents that an eye test should be on the back-to-school check list this year

With the start of the school year just around the corner, optometrists are calling for parents to schedule an eye test for their children with concerns over digital eye strain.

It’s important that children get a full eye test when they reach school age, even if their vision seems fine, to ensure any potential issues are identified so they can be corrected and managed. With children spending more time on screens than ever, there is potential to develop digital eye strain, something optometrists are seeing much more often. Children are also more at risk of developing myopia or becoming shortsighted as their eyes are still developing. “I generally recommend parents take their child for a routine eye test before they begin school and then every two years after that unless otherwise directed by their optometrist.” If a child complains about headaches, blurred vision or any issues with their eyes, I recommend booking an appointment with an optometrist straight away rather than waiting until their next check-up. The changes we’re seeing in virtual and screen-based learning means children and teens alike are spending more time on their laptops and tablets, so it’s important your child’s vision stays front of mind this school year.” Top tips for kids to avoid digital eye strain:

1. Remind your child to blink. This keeps the surface of your eyes from drying out. 2. Keep a bottle of water on them at all times.

Your eyes dry out when you’re dehydrated so making sure your child is drinking plenty of water throughout the day is important! 3. Follow the 20-20-20 rule. This means, every 20 minutes remind your child to shift their eyes to look at an object at least 20 metres away, for at least 20 seconds. The easiest way to do this is to take small ‘window’ breaks and look out at a faraway object to give their eyes a break from their screen. 4. Spend time away from the screen. Make sure that during the school week, your children spend time playing outside or stepping away from the screen to do another activity. Staring at screens and being indoors for extended periods of time can increase the risk of myopia or becoming short-sighted. This means the eyes focus well only on close objects, while more distant objects appear blurred. By Greeshma Patel, optometrist for Specsavers.