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• Is Your Child Seeing Right? Prevent Myopia Progression and Other Eye-Related Problems

Your child’s eyes are vulnerable to many ailments and conditions. Just a mere brush of his/her hand across the eye, or staring at a screen for too long can cause serious eye health issues.

Some problems to keep an eye on

Your child’s eyes are new and fresh and should be protected. But in order to protect their eyes, we, as parents, should be aware of the various eye problems that afflict our children and how to treat them as best as we can.

1. Amblyopia

Amblyopia, or more commonly known as ‘lazy eye’, is a common condition that affects children. It has been reported that at least 2 to 3 percent of the U.S. Population has some degree of amblyopia . Amblyopia is caused by the misalignment of the eyes. The best possible way to treat amblyopia is to schedule an appointment with your nearest ophthalmologist. Treatment usually involves covering the other ‘good’ eye with a patch in order to force the ‘lazy’ eye to work and train the eye to see clearly.

2. Conjunctivitis

As your child is constantly exposed to many different irritants in the environment around them, they are also prone to contracting conjunctivitis, or more commonly known as “pink/red eye”. According to the American Optometric Association, if your child touches his/her eyes without washing them first, the bacteria from his/her own hands can contaminate the eye and cause bacterial conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis can also be contracted through allergic reactions. If your child does contract bacterial conjunctivitis, your doctor will prescribe him/her with antibiotic eyedrops. As for home remedies, placing a cold towel over the affected eye will help to soothe the eye. Use a wet towel to gently wipe off any excess discharge that forms around the eye.

3. Myopia

Our eyes are constantly being overworked and with the prevalence of smart devices, it can place a lot of strain and stress on your child’s eyes. This is a contributing factor to myopia, or nearsightedness. According to a report by plano, school-aged children in Singapore from 9 to 12 years of age spend up to 50 hours a week on their smartphone or tablet computers. You may download the report here. Smart device use and screen exposure can cause your child’s eyes to grow abnormally long to adapt to look at near objects. While it is not exactly possible to prevent myopia per se, you can help to delay its progression by fostering good eye care habits in your child. Remember to remind your child to take frequent eye breaks, go outdoors, and place their screens at least 30 cm away from their eyes.

However, it can be difficult for a child to remember all these tips to delay the progression of myopia. The plano app can help turn these reminders into daily habits that your child can easily incorporate into their everyday smartphone use. That way, they can enjoy using their mobile devices while helping to prevent myopia, and taking care of their eyes too.