August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, making it a great time to focus on one of the most overlooked parts of a child’s wellbeing: their vision.
Good vision is essential for learning, development, coordination, and confidence.
The problem is that children often don’t know when they’re not seeing well. They won’t tell you because they assume everyone sees the world the same way they do.
Instead, they adapt. They might sit closer to the television, tilt their head, avoid reading, or simply appear distracted or reluctant to engage with schoolwork. These changes can be subtle and easy for even the most attentive parent or teacher to miss.
Every child should have a comprehensive eye examination before starting school and then every one to two years after that.
At any age, it’s worth arranging an eye test if your child sits very close to screens or books, has one eye that drifts or turns, persistently tilts their head, squints, rubs their eyes when they’re not tired, loses their place while reading, complains of headaches after school, or suddenly develops a dislike of reading or schoolwork.
School vision screening programs can be helpful, but they don’t detect every eye condition and aren’t a substitute for a comprehensive eye examination. Some childhood eye conditions are genuinely time sensitive. Amblyopia, or “lazy eye”, is highly treatable when detected early, but becomes much more difficult to improve after about seven or eight years of age.
The safety side of the equation is just as important.
Encourage children to spend time outdoors. It’s one of the few measures proven to reduce the risk of children becoming short-sighted, with around two hours outside each day making a real difference.
With spring just around the corner, it’s also worth remembering that UV levels climb quickly at this time of year. Children’s eyes naturally allow more ultraviolet light to reach the retina than adult eyes, making good sun protection especially important. A broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses that meet the Australian Standard are simple, inexpensive ways to help protect their eyes.
The good news is that comprehensive eye examinations for children are covered by Medicare, and you don’t need a referral.
