Top Tips for Back to School

So it is finally back to school time!

Eyes are an important part of learning (obviously) and we wanted to share our Top 3 Back to School eye tips.

Tip #1

It’s super important to have regular breaks when reading or using electronic devices - the longer your child spends with their eyes ‘glued’ to a screen, the stickier their eye focus can become. We recommend that every 20 mins or so - to LOOK UP and into the distance (out a window or across the room) - even if it’s just for 20 seconds. This gives the eyes a chance to - MOVE their focus and get in a little bit of exercise.

Tip #2

Get your kids to spend time outside. You might be thinking - the kids have just gone back to school so why do they need to go outside? We hear you but…… it’s all about balance.

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 and this is a really easy way to help protect our kids' eyes and future.

Tip #3 - having good light is really important.

Whether you are reading a book, textbook, ipad or using your computer - it’s super important to have the correct type of lighting. Whilst reading in dim light won’t lead to permanent damage to your eyes it can definitely cause headaches and tired and sore eyes and it may also just make it really difficult to see the print on the page of a book.

When reading from digital devices it is also important to have the room lights on - it can be confusing to our brains and our eyes if our eyes need to constantly adjust from the bright screen to the dark room. And just finally, if you are using a desk lamp - make sure that it doesn’t cast a shadow over your work space.

At Outlook Eye Centre, we’re always here to answer your questions so please get in touch if you’d like to discuss your child's vision and learning.