More Green Time, Less Screen Time

Did you know that spending time outside during the day can actually protect children against becoming short-sighted (or myopic).  In a world where so much of our lives are spent in a bubble of close activities, we need to balance this out by spending time outside.  Myopia is an epidemic that is rising quickly in our modern world of computers and devices.

Around the world, the prevalence of myopia in 2010 was 25% of the world’s population and this is expected to rise to 50% by 2050.  

So why does this really matter?  

Although we are able to provide glasses and contact lenses for these children so they can clearly for school work, TV and sport there is more to the story than this. At Outlook Eye Centre we are concerned about your childs’ vision and eye health and their eye health into the future.  The more myopic you are, the higher the risk you are at having other sight threatening eye diseases such as glaucoma, retinal detachment, macula degeneration and cataract.  

Ideally, our goal for your children is that they do not become myopic in the first place but if that happens we would like to slow down the progression as much as we can.

Here are some tips that may help with myopia prevention and control:

• Spend time outside each day – outdoor sport and play of at least two hours a day can reduce the risk of myopia and it is also good for you!
• Take regular breaks from close work!
• Try to limit near tasks (after work and school) to 2 hours a day!
• When using a computer, make sure it is properly positioned to avoid eye strain and poor posture and take breaks every 20 mins by looking across the room for 20 seconds!
• Read with a good light!
• It is recommended that children under the age of 2 have no exposure to screens, while children aged 2 – 5 years have no more than 1 hour of screen time a day!
• Continue to have regular eye examinations!
• Have fun and be awesome!

If you have any questions we would love to hear from you.