the good doctor On: Back to School

Blog Vol.2, # 15. Back to school.

The summer seems to go by so fast, with the start of school just around the corner. Again, another Covid-fraught September. The details need to be worked out, but we are back in the classroom much to the relief of all involved. Back-to-school time is a good time to consider your child’s vision. Has your child had their eyes checked? Because they are growing and changing so much, children need to have their eyes examined regularly. Furthermore…

..the increased screen time of the pandemic has an impact on our children’s eyes. I am particularly talking about myopia development or increased nearsightedness (cannot see the distance clearly, sees well up close). The decrease in outdoor activity and the increase in screen time have created the “perfect storm”. The studies done during the past year have concentrated on the impact of this “perfect storm” on school age children. Here are two of many studies:

Progression of Myopia in School-Aged Children After COVID-19 Home Confinement

The upshot is that when children get back to the classroom there will be some squinting of eyes and extra eye strain. Teachers, parents and students have to be on the watch for these symptoms. Nearsightedness can result from the eyes adapting to a near environment, the visual system actually changes to make work up close easier. While we have been at home for much of the last 20 months, our eyes have been “happily” doing our near work, not needing to do our pre-Covid distance work.

REMINDER: Eye exams for the kids.

Glasses are not the only solution. There are many new treatments to slow down myopia development, not to mention habits that we can develop in our children, like getting outside as much as possible, spending less time on our screens, and moving our screens further away from our eyes.

Remember, watch for squinting in the classroom this fall.

Til next week,

the good doctor, Dr. Mark Germain, Burlington Optometrist