Want to prevent myopia from developing in your child? The answer may be easier and more affordable than you think.
Get your head in the game.
Our children’s health is, without a doubt, our priority. The last thing any parent would want would be for their children to walk around feeling ill and uncomfortable. So we take our children to the doctor regularly to get their overall health examined, or to the dentist to get their teeth checked every 6 months. But what about their eyes?
You may have tried a ton of eye-health supplements (which are great!), or even been asking them to look out the window every 30 minutes (that’s good too!). But somehow you’re not too sure if their eyes are still safe from the clutches of myopia or not.
Ask yourself this: when was the last time you brought your child to the optometrist to get their eyes checked thoroughly? Attending regular eye checks are a surefire way to protect your child’s eyes and prevent myopia or any other eye health problems from developing. Eye care professionals even encourage parents to bring their children for an eye check at the optometrist once every 6 months, or at least once every year.
The cost of myopia.
We wouldn’t want our children to grow up being unable to see clearly, do we? But with an increasing amount of time spent on smartphones, the risk of contracting myopia increases tenfold.
According to research done by the National University of Singapore (NUS), the prevalence rate of myopia in 7 year old Singaporean children begin from 34.7%. It increases to 53.1% when they age to 9 years old. In Taiwan, the myopia prevalence rate catapults to 81.0% once children reach junior high school. The ever increasing prevalence rate of myopia puts our children at risk of high myopia. Thus, it’s necessary to prevent myopia’s development before it’s too late.
The monetary cost of myopia is expensive too. Found by the same study, the average cost of myopia for every Singaporean student aged between 7 to 9 years old is approximately US$148. And the cost is only going to increase given the upward prevalence rate of myopia as children get older. In a separate study of 113 Singaporean adults aged 40 and older who had contracted myopia, the average cost was around US$709 per year. That’s definitely going to cost you a pretty penny.
Getting your child’s eyes checked regularly however will save you a lot more money, and their eyes too. Eye checks done at an optometrist will help to identify any vision problems that your child may be experiencing early. If found, your optometrist can help administer treatment in order to prevent vision conditions like myopia from developing further.
Should you want to get your child’s eyes checked at an optometrist, book an appointment at your nearest optometry clinic using plano Eyecheck*. plano Eyecheck has partnered with Nanyang Optical, W Optics, Videre Eyecare and Optic Point to bring eye exams closer to you at an affordable price. For a limited time only, all appointments made using the plano Eyecheck platform will receive a S$50 voucher to cover the cost of the eye check-up. Simply visit planoeyecheck.com and select your nearest optometry clinic using the on-site map to book an appointment.
*Only valid in Singapore
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