WHY DOES EVERY CHILD NEED A REGULAR EYE CHECK UP?

The blue light emitted by phone and tablet screens is harmful to children's eyes. After a summer break with the freedom to stay up late and use devices later, longer and more frequently than normal, it is vitally important to arrange an eye check-up ready for the new school term.

Good vision is essential to a child's learning experience and this will be reflected in academic performance. For this reason, it is advisable to arrange an eye examination for your child at the start of the school term, especially if they have been spending a lot of time on screens over the summer.

At our MBC 'Back to School' event last year where a panel of experts answered questions from the audience - a confident little 4-year old girl asked one of the experts why "It looks like I'm crying when I watch a movie on my phone, but it's not really crying, it's water coming from my eyes." Even at the tender age of four, the girl understood that she was experiencing eye issues from the screen where she is regularly allowed to watch movies.

She is right the blue light from screens has a direct impact on children's health and commonly causes multiple disorders including headaches, eye strain and sleep disorders. It increases the chances that a child will become astigmatic, myopic or hyperopic in adulthood. While children might wear eyeglasses or sunglasses in regular life, most have no protection from too much screen exposure.

The importance of a professional eye exam

According to research in Canada, only one third of children are examined by an optometrist before entering school, and 61% of the parents surveyed mistakenly believe they can detect their child's eye problems. The fact is, you can't always see optical damage without a proper eye examination.