Increased screen time affecting children's eye health, warns Warrnambool optometrist

Specsavers Warrnambool optometrist Mehul Patel said there had been a steady increase of children aged five to 12 years needing glasses.

"The pandemic has definitely been a contributing factor to the increase in children needing glasses, but it's a trend that we've been seeing grow year-on-year over the last five years as the use of screens generally has become a more prominent part of daily life," Mr Patel said.

"The increase in children requiring glasses has been exacerbated by remote learning and children being on screens for most of the day, but it's certainly not the only contributing factor.

"Children are spending more time than ever on screens as part their learning, socialising and playtime.

"While this is often necessary, young people are more susceptible to developing near-sightedness, or myopia, as their eyes continue to develop."

Mr Patel said he recommended school-aged children get their eyes tested once every two years.

"However, if your child complains about headaches, blurred vision or any other issues with their eyes, no matter how mild, we recommend booking an appointment with an optometrist straight away rather than waiting until their next check-up," he said.

Mr Patel said there were some simple things parents could do to support their children's eye health, such as encouraging them to drink more water, blink more often and take regular breaks from their screen or device.

"A simple way to remember to take a break is following the '20,20,20' rule - it's as simple as looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes," he said.