Children's Vision Supplement 2011 - Optometry Today

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Children’s Vision
optometrytoday
Supplement 2011
live
March 2011
Effects of UV and
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age on young eyes
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CREATIVE
Schoolvision - a proud
sponsor of this guide
Welcome to
Optometry Today’s
2011 Children’s Vision
Supplement, which
Schoolvision is proud
to sponsor.
2010 was a
landmark year for
the Diploma in Schoolvision – the first
complete year since its introduction.
The diploma, which represents the
study of the relationship between visual
performance and the occupation of
reading, places optometry at the centre
of the fight against dyslexia.
For a Schoolvision accredited
practitioner, being able to offer these
assessments can be an incredibly
rewarding process allowing children,
through ongoing treatment, to realise
their true potential.
It has been encouraging to see
so many in the profession embrace
Contents
4-5 Update on the Optical
Confederation’s Children’s
Eyecare Initiative, by chair
Polly Dulley
7 Styles in children’s
eyewear, by Dunelm
Optical
8-9 Making a difference
with a Schoolvision
Diploma
Schoolvision and what it can also achieve
in terms of an additional revenue stream
for practitioners.
2011 is proving to be even more
exciting! Additional courses are
constantly being added to the timetable
to meet demand and we are all looking
forward to this year’s Sportfair event in
May which will feature a research review
entitled ‘How academically-able children
still underachieve in literacy’. There is
also much excitement as Schoolvision
is now attracting worldwide interest
from countries as far apart as Sweden
and New Zealand. We look forward
to welcoming many more accredited
practitioners to the ranks this year and to
continuing to help many more children
across the UK and beyond reach their
reading potential.
Geraint Griffiths, clinical director,
Schoolvision
10-11 Changing young
lives with contact lenses,
by Ciba Vision
12-13 Children’s vision in
the digital age, by Karen
Sparrow
15 The importance of
protecting young eyes
from UV, by Zoobug’s Julie
Diem Le
3
25/03/11 CHILDREN’S VISION SUPPLEMENT

CAMPAIGN
Young children’s eye health:
Still a buried issue?
4
25/03/11 CHILDREN’S VISION SUPPLEMENT
By Polly Dulley, chair of the Children’s Eyecare Initiative
LAST SUMMER, 23,000 headteachers
received a personal letter from the Optical
Confederation highlighting the importance
of children’s eye health with a call to action
that they should support children having
their eyes checked at a young age.
We wrote to every primary school in
the UK, asking for the help of the teaching
profession in getting our message across
to parents. We sent posters along with the
letters and offered online resources that
schools could access, to help them include
eye health in the school curriculum.
The call to action wasn’t limited to
teachers and almost 1,000 optometrists
and dispensing opticians signed up to
the campaign, happy to go into their local
schools to talk about eyes and eye care. A
number of school headteachers got in touch
and were keen to help us to raise awareness
of the importance of children’s eye health
with parents.
We hope to build on this engagement
in future to ensure that our message is still
getting across.
A public health disgrace
The Confederation’s campaign ran alongside
that of Transitions Optical, working in
partnership to raise awareness of the
issue. Transitions Optical hosted a roundtable
event, attended by industry leaders,
academics, professionals, parents and
educators. AOP chief executive, Bob Hughes,
commented at the time: “It’s an absolute
public health disgrace. There are problems
which can be corrected in young people’s
eyes and yet it’s a buried issue, an unknown
issue, that children are losing out on a good
education because they can’t see.”
The optometrist’s role in children’s eye
care was discussed and, whilst the need for
improved vision screening was agreed upon,
it was felt that optometrists have a vital role
to play in the provision of children’s eye
care and a responsibility to communicate
this role to parents. AOP education adviser,
Karen Sparrow, said: “As optometrists, we
have the skills, equipment and resources to
offer eye examinations to every child in the
UK. So what are the barriers? Most parents
simply don’t think about it. There is currently
no encouragement from other health care
professionals to parents to take their child to
visit an optometrist. Many parents believe
that all children have an eye check at school.
This is simply not the case. Whilst some PCTs
offer vision screening for four-year-olds,
other PCTs do not have any form of vision
screening, in spite of national guidelines
recommending that they should do so.”
Plans for 2011
This year we will continue our efforts to
reach parents and have approached major
retailers, to see if they will be involved
in our campaign. We would like to see
one clear message on posters displayed
in supermarkets, in multiples and in

independent practice. It’s vital
that parents are made aware
that their child may have an
undetected vision problem
and that the only way to
ensure a child has the ability
to see to learn is by having an
in Optometry in Practice as a great
starting point for those who aren’t
sure of the equipment required to see
young children. It certainly doesn’t
have to cost a fortune and becoming
a practice which welcomes children is
a great business builder.
eye examination with their
community optometrist. In a
recent article in Optometry in
Practice, Dr Kathryn Saunders
said that the optometrist’s aim
should be: “That children are not
disadvantaged by poor vision
due to uncorrected refractive
error and, where necessary, that
they receive early and effective
treatment for binocular problems
and amblyopia.”
Our campaign to date has tried
to reach parents via schools and
teachers. This year’s campaign
will build on this to ensure our
message is still getting across. You
can help by communicating with your own
patients. Why not talk about the importance
of children’s eye care in your patient
newsletters and reminders? Ask patients
if their children or grandchildren currently
have regular eye examinations and, if not,
encourage them to bring their children in.
There are a number of resources available on
the AOP’s website, including a downloadable
poster and an information leaflet for parents.
We are in the process of redesigning this
year’s campaign poster, which will be
included in a resource pack to help you raise
awareness in your local area. See page 2 of
this guide for a sneak preview.
How you can get involved
Look at your own patients for interesting
cases. Ask parents if they would be
interested in helping our campaign by telling
the story of their own child’s experience at
the opticians for a local newspaper story,
or to add to our database of campaign
case histories. I have successfully enlisted
the help of many families in my own
practice who have been interviewed and
had photographs taken. Their personal
experience at the opticians – and how it
has made a difference to the child – makes
a great human interest story. In the past
few months alone, more than six local
papers have run stories of our child patients’
experiences at the opticians. We also secured
wider campaign media coverage, including
articles in The Guardian and The Observer, as
well as interviews on Radio 4.
I’m conscious that some optometrists and
dispensing opticians have little experience
in seeing children and feel daunted by
the prospect. I promise you, it’s well worth
trying. Children offer a refreshing change
to the routine eye examination, requiring
imagination and patience but delivering
tremendous professional satisfaction and
plenty of fun!
Resources to help you
Have a look on the AOP’s website, in
case you missed the ‘Top Tips’ guide
to examining children’s eyes and
dispensing spectacles.
We are in the process of making a
film showing some of the techniques
and equipment that you may find
useful in seeing children. The aim of
this is to show you how accessible
paediatric eye care really is. The
techniques you need to adopt are
straightforward and the equipment
that you need to obtain is simple to
use. Many of the major CET providers
are recognising the importance of
children’s eye care as a training need. There
are courses and workshops, as well as MCQs
available, all designed to improve your
confidence and ability in seeing children.
To fundamentally change the way in
which vision screening is conducted in the
UK will take time. The Children’s Eyecare
Initiative has long-term aims to change the
way the Government looks at children’s eye
care but for the time
being we have more
modest and achievable
goals – to encourage
motivated parents to
take their child for an
eye examination.
Polly Dulley
Want to know more?
See the AOP’s website for details
about the children’s eye health
campaign www.aop.org.uk/
campaigns. If you would like more
information about the Optical
Confederation’s Children’s Eyecare
Initiative, or have an interesting case
study from your practice, please
contact Anne Grenyer on 020 7401
5316 or annegrenyer@aop.org.uk
5
25/03/11 Children’s Vision Supplement
I recommend Dr Saunders’s recent paper

Frames featured
GIRL: MOCCASIN, BOY: CHAKOTAY
See our new collections at OPTRAFAIR Stand M40 Hall 20
Telephone +44 (0) 1388 420420 www.dunelmoptical.co.uk

COMMERCIAL FEATURE
Mini shoppers expect more
style from their eyewear
7
UNTIL RECENT years wearing glasses often
came with a certain stigma attached, particularly
amongst children – but with ever
evolving optical and sun ranges, High Street
brands and designer labels on the market,
today’s mini shoppers are spoilt for choice
and more in tune than ever with what’s hot
and what’s not.
Peter Beaumont, director at Dunelm Optical,
explains: “The children’s sector is one of
the most exciting. Tweens and teens are now
ultra savvy when it comes to their favourite
style of eyewear, taking their lead from adult
themes. Rather than shy away from big and
bold styles, children are embracing them,
seeing them as a fashion accessory. Colours
provide a real point of difference, creating
statement eyewear that will make them
stand out from the crowd.
“The teen market is certainly more brand
aware than they were before, but they’re attracted
to more fashion forward retail brands
rather than premium designer. Children,
after all, are more likely to grow out of styles
quickly and being more active they’re more
prone to damage and breakages, so affordability
is key. For under 12s, the emphasis is
on enjoyment, and frames are selected to fit
their personalities.”
This season, the 15 new styles in Dunelm’s
popular Whiz Kids range have taken cool
and classic designs that work for adults and
made them work for kids. The entire range
now totals 56 fantastic optical frames and 34
sun frames, offering something for everyone.
GR8Kids also encapsulates the latest trends,
in a 13-strong optical collection.
“Designs range from chunky frames with
deep sides to vibrant stand-out colours. With
the geek chic look set to soar in 2011, this increasingly
fashion conscious market can be
sure they are top of the class with our latest
on-trend frames”, says Mr Beaumont.
“For the younger audience girls are becoming
more and more adventurous, with
bright colours and impact sides detailing
floral and star designs. Our new portfolio
captures these styles and frames are
“Tweens and teens are now ultra savvy when it
comes to their favourite style of eyewear ”
available in both metal and plastic. Boys, on
the other hand, seem to be playing it cool,
by choosing square plain plastic frames in
more subtle colours.”
Practical, cost effective and hard wearing
are not words children usually associate with
fashion – but the majority of Dunelm’s Whiz
Kids and Gr8Kids ranges are flexi-joint sided
for durability, whist still retaining that ‘cool’
factor.
“We use 90 degree bendy bridges and
sides, and all our frames are made with
superior quality materials,” he added. “When
ordered in-glazed, all children’s frames have
surfaced lenses to suit the size of the frame,
at no extra cost. Some frames are available
with curl sides – ensuring children don’t
need to worry during sports or PE lessons,
but more importantly, these young trend
setters will be sure to find up-to-the-minute
frames to make their friends green with
envy.”
In addition to the glasses themselves, it’s
also important to offer the latest ‘must have’
accessories to go with them, and the glasses
case holds as much kudos in the classroom
as the contest for the best pencil case. Again
this comes down to individuality, personality
and theme, and Dunelm offers a wide choice
of funky cases in fabrics and plastics to suit
different tastes.
For further information, or to request a
2011 collection pack, contact Dunelm’s
head office on 01388 420 420, or
www.dunelmoptical.co.uk. Practitioners can
also order online by visiting
www.dunelmoptical.co.uk/order.
25/03/11 CHILDREN’S VISION SUPPLEMENT

COMMERCIAL FEATURE
8
25/03/11 CHILDREN’S VISION SUPPLEMENT
By Geraint Griffiths, clinical director of Schoolvision
Change your life with a
Schoolvision diploma
DAVID (not his real name) read the next to
bottom line on the chart with both eyes –
just. When he tried to read a line of single
N10 letters in ‘Times’ font his whole body
trembled, his face was waxen and he gave
up after only four letters.
David was in his first year at Moreton
secondary school and was part of a threeyear
study to investigate the effect of visual
deficit on reading. He was small for his age
as were many of his contemporaries from
this deprived area of Wolverhampton. His
teachers were concerned by his lack of
academic progress and even more about
his behaviour, which was very disruptive. His
good luck was to attend this enlightened
school, then under the charge of head
teacher, Tony Leach.
The Moreton study
Based on the visual screening of 95 year
seven students, the Moreton study paid
particular attention to visual performance
when reading. The startling conclusion was
that up to 60% of the year seven pupils
studied showed one or more predisposing
sign/s of a simple binocular deficiency when
reading.
A sample of 12 students identified
as having these signs were prescribed
Schoolvision spectacles. They showed an
average 30% improvement in behaviour as
assessed by their teachers (general behaviour,
attentiveness, progress and sociability)
over a three-month period using their new
spectacles. During this time there was over
100% average improvement in reading
speed and the visual acuity in 50% of children
improved by one line or more.
David was exceptional in many ways. He
was given multifocal lenses with a blue tint but
nothing else: no exercises, special attention
or encouragement. From being hardly able to
read he became one of the fastest readers in
his year and was talked about as being a future
head boy. His normal skin colour returned and
the body tremor all but disappeared.
The Moreton study suggested that a
predisposition to binocular vision deficiency
when reading can be regarded as normal in
year seven children. It follows that signs of
dyslexia may be normal for more than half the
population; the ability to adapt to and cope
with this condition depending on the degree

of visual deficit and native wit. It is therefore
no wonder an Ofsted report revealed that
43% of 11 year-olds failed to reach the
required standard for reading, writing and
arithmetic 1 .
Dyslexia
The cause of dyslexia has not been
fully understood and currently most
optometrists, in deference to educational
psychologists, wouldn’t disagree that it is
due to a congenital disorder in higher brain
function. However it is curious that when
considering a simple definition of dyslexia –
from the Oxford English Dictionary is literally
‘difficulty seeing words’, our profession
doesn’t generally acknowledge that this is
likely to involve vision. In essence, dyslexia
may depend on the way the eyes work
together.
If this is the case (as suggested by the
Moreton study) then the implications for the
industry are profound. The British Dyslexia
Association estimate that over 50% of the
prison population has an official diagnosis
of dyslexia and media reports suggest that
40% of entrepreneurial millionaires in the
UK are also dyslexic; for whatever reason
dyslexia can have far-reaching effects on
behaviour. The associated behavioural
stresses in turn will affect ocular, systemic
and psychological morbidity.
It is likely that as a species we have not
yet evolved to deal with hours of reading or
working on a computer. It may be that our
profession has a very important role to play
in helping us deal with the visual demands of
the technological age.
Current PCT attitudes
These findings will inevitably effect the
funding of eye care by local PCTs, which are
struggling with a reducing budget, their
dilemma is all the more acute because of the
wording of the Opticians Act. Schoolvision
corrects anomalies of eye dominance,
refraction, accommodation, convergence,
light sensitivity, or any combination using
methods both traditional and improved.
These anomalies are simply defects of an
anatomical or physiological nature as
defined by The Act.
“It is not unrealistic to suggest that curing
dyslexia will have a significant impact”
If a programme is planned using Eye Plan
it can be made easy for parents to manage
and can support what help the NHS is able
to provide. This allows time to be charged
properly to reward new skills and ability.
Schoolvision is recession proof – that’s
what one practitioner said recently and
Schoolvision director Mark Houlford agrees,
that this is exactly what he has experienced
in his practices.
Diploma in Schoolvision Practice
The exciting possibilities open to
optometrists to use this new information
led to the development of the Diploma
in Schoolvision Practice (containing over
20 hours of GOC-accredited lectures and
workshops), which aims to bring together the
work of the AOP-backed Children’s Eye Care
Initiative with the research findings produced
by Sportvision and Schoolvision.
Schoolvision delegates learn the simple
conclusion of the Moreton study – dyslexia
is due to a deficit in binocular function
at the near point. By correcting this with
spectacles or contact lenses or both, the
reading difficulty is removed. This is what
members of the Association of Sport and
Schoolvision Practitioners are beginning
to find in their own practices. When this
becomes understood by their PCTs the
situation regarding GOS exams and vouchers
for children with reading difficulties may
change radically.
For anyone in the fields of optometry,
dispensing or manufacturing optics the
possibilities are very exciting. We have the
means to cure dyslexia with a commercial
return from prescribing spectacles and
contact lenses that will reward the effort.
The principles that underpin Schoolvision
and Sportvision apply to all occupations and
give a better scientific understanding of the
relationship between vision and occupation.
It would not be overstating the case to say
the future of vision care is in our own hands.
Changing the future
If you become a Schoolvision practitioner
the feedback from colleagues who have
done so, such as “A revelation on how we
can help those disadvantaged children”,
suggest that it will change the way you
think about presenting signs and symptoms.
Those children whom you treat will benefit
enormously; their parents’ emotions on
seeing their child progress range from
delight to relief to being overcome! It is not
unrealistic to suggest that curing dyslexia will
have a significant impact on society.
• Geraint Griffiths is a College Examiner,
College Councillor for the East Midlands
region and chair of the Association of Sport
and Schoolvision Practitioners.
1
(reported in the Daily Mail 14.12.05)
9
25/03/11 Children’s Vision Supplement

COMMERCIAL FEATURE
Changing lives
10
For optometrist Reena Kakkad one of the highlights of being an eye care professional is seeing
the many positive changes in her young patients when they start to use contact lenses. Take
Rose for example. When she first came to Reena’s practice, ‘Keena Rakkado, The Opticians’, she
had been treated by Moorfields Eye Hospital for strabismus and had been seeing an orthoptist
regularly but had now been discharged from their care.
ROSE WAS
anyone. Rose’s parents explained that they
supportive with their children wearing
eight-years-
were very worried about their daughter
contact lenses but the child also needs to
old when Ms
because she was losing confidence and
be absolutely onboard with it,” explained Ms
Kakkad first
becoming increasingly reserved. They
Kakkad. And so her first action was to spend
25/03/11 CHILDREN’S VISION SUPPLEMENT
met her; she
wore glasses
as part of her
strabismus
treatment and
had come
with her parents to ask about the possibility
of trying contact lenses.
Rose was so shy she could barely look
at Ms Kakkad and her staff, let alone talk to
“It’s dealing with
children like Rose
that make this
such a wonderful job”
explained that she was being picked on at
school for wearing glasses but worse, when
she took her glasses off for games and sport,
her eye converged slightly and the teasing
intensified.
Rose’s parents had approached their local
practice about the possibility of Rose trying
contact lenses. Sadly they were refused due
to her age.
Undeterred they heard about Ms Kakkad
and brought Rose along for a consultation. It
was clear to Ms Kakkad that the parents were
very keen for their daughter to wear contact
lenses because, of course, they wanted the
teasing and bullying to stop and for Rose’s
school life to improve.
“It’s fantastic when parents are so
time talking to Rose about her life with
glasses, find out what she wanted and assess
how responsible she felt Rose would be
with applying, removing and looking after
contact lenses.
Following the consultation it was clear
that here was a little girl who, although
painfully shy, was very keen and fully
committed to being free from her glasses
and trying contact lenses. Ms Kakkad
started with a contact lens teaching session
to thoroughly check her confidence and
handling technique. When she first tried the
contact lenses during the teaching session
Rose was delighted with her vision. Once she
had the correct prescription her parents saw
an incredible change in their daughter. Her

Supporting practitioners in
changing lives
CIBA Vision is committed to supporting
practitioners to promote contact lenses
to young people through the Fit for Life
campaign. Fit for Life was launched
last year and is designed to help
practitioners fit more young wearers
with contact lenses and retain them
for life. This is an ongoing campaign,
which comprises educational symposia
designed to provide practitioners
with the clinical skills to confidently
fit young people as well as marketing
tools to help promote contact lenses to
them. All the resources can be found
at: www.cibavisionacademy.co.uk.
Contact lenses
• Improve how young people feel about
their appearance 1
• Improve confidence at school 1
• Improve ability to participate in
sports and activities 1
“The change in children when they
wear contact lenses is remarkable; it’s
life changing for them and immensely
satisfying for us as practitioners.”
Chaaban Zeidan, optometrist, The
Zeidan Eyecare Centre, Tamworth
1
Walline JJ et al. ‘Optometry & vision science’,
2006; 83
confidence improved dramatically, the other
parents at her school noticed that she would
say hello to them, her teachers noticed that
rather than “hiding in a corner” she began
to join in lessons more, furthermore her
schoolwork improved. Practice staff has
also noticed a huge change in Rose; the
shy, reserved little girl has become a bright,
happy, bubbly child.
“It’s dealing with children like Rose that
make this such a wonderful job,” commented
Ms Kakkad. Her staff have a lot of experience
with children through their work with
local schools. The practice also works with
a number of local schools that cater for
children with behavioural problems. And it
is this aspect of her job that Ms Kakkad feels
so passionately: “It’s about feeling fulfilled
and that you are giving back. It’s also about
“It’s fantastic when parents are so supportive
with their children wearing contact lenses but
the child also needs to be absolutely onboard”
supporting our local community,”
she explained.
Her passion for her job and her success
in dealing with her young patients is
evident in the many letters she has
received from her young patients’ parents.
“It’s wonderful to receive these letters of
course,” she said, “but seeing the changes
in the children, the confidence they gain
and the improvements in their lives from
wearing contacts lenses is what gives us all
a tremendous boost and is what our job is
all about.”
CIBA Vision is passionate about
supporting eye care practitioners in
providing this kind of exceptional service
to their patients. For Keena Rakkado, The
Opticians, the provision of practitioner and
patient educational tools and resources
from the company is invaluable. “I always
look forward attending CIBA Vision
educational programmes such as the
Roadshows and the Management and
Business Academy programmes (MBAs).
The CIBA Vision Teens Campaign materials
have been some of the best that I have
seen,” explained Ms Kakkad.
“Because they not only help me in my
business but most importantly help my
patients. It’s by working together that we
will be able to change the lives of a lot
more young people,” she concluded.
Did you know that …
Children as young as eight can
successfully wear contact lenses. 1
Did you know that …
New research shows that nearly
one-in-five (18%) 2 of young people do
not wear their prescribed glasses. 2
Did you know that …
The Medical Officers of Schools
Association say:
“Whenever possible, pupils should use
soft contact lenses to correct vision
during sport.”
“In sports involving direct contact (e.g.
rugby, football and martial arts)
only soft lenses or nothing are
acceptable.”
A comprehensive range of
professional tools and
resources to help you attract
more young people into contact
lenses are available at
www.cibavisionacademy.co.uk
1
Walline, J.J. Daily Disposable Contact Lens Wear in
Myopic Children. Optom Vis Sci 81:(4) 255-259
2
Survey of the attitudes of school-aged children
to eye care in the UK. D Thomson,
2004, City University, London
11
25/03/11 Children’s Vision Supplement

CHILDREN IN 2011
12
25/03/11 CHILDREN’S VISION SUPPLEMENT
Multi-media kids
By Karen Sparrow, AOP education adviser
THE WORLD of technology isn’t just evolving
– it is moving at light speed. So can our kids
keep up and is it good for them? A cartoon
DVD can be a lifesaver for a busy mum but
how much is too much and what should we
advise parents asking whether this electronic
media is harming their children’s eyes?
A recent survey by Child Wise of 2,445
British children¹ suggests that children
watch more than two and a half hours of
TV a day plus nearly two hours online or
playing computer games. This amounts to
2,000 hours a year – more than twice the
number of hours they spend in school and
considerably more time than they spend
with their parents.
Two in three children over five have their
own computer (62%) and nearly half have
internet access in their own room (46%).
Add to that the 62% of children who have
a TV in their bedroom and 97% of over
11’s who have a mobile phone (and don’t
think the younger age group are any less
connected as 70% of five-16-year-olds have
a mobile). The poll suggests two thirds (65%)
of children go online most days and children
across the UK together spend 13 million
hours on websites every day.
Children can now watch TV, whilst
listening to their iPod, gaming and texting
on their phone. Their ability to multi-task
when it comes to electronics actually raises
their exposure to nearly 11 hours a day,
according to a long running US report².
And then there are ever more complex
and dynamic viewing experiences being
developed for us and our children to enjoy.
Nintendo joined the 3D market with their
long-awaited new handheld 3DS gaming
console, launched at a prestigious event in
Amsterdam in January. However, aside from
the glitz and enthusiastic gamers awaiting
the UK’s March launch, Nintendo has also
issued a health warning with the new
handheld console (now available on the UK
website³) that advises parents to turn off the
3D effect for children under six-years-old.
This concern is not unique to the
Nintendo 3DS as watching 3D images
through other means, such as at the cinema
or on a 3D television, could give rise to
similar concerns. Sony, Samsung, LG and
other manufacturers have also released
health and safety guidance with their 3D
TVs 4 .
The short-term effects of watching 3D are
the same for adults and children, including
headaches and double vision. However,
children’s eyesight is developing rapidly from
birth, reaching natural emmetropisation
“Children need a clear, sharp image in each eye
in order for their vision to develop properly ”
around the age of five or six, although new
research shows that children’s eyesight can
remain flexible beyond this, so use of 3D
technology under the age of six should be
monitored carefully.
Children need a clear, sharp image in
each eye in order for their vision to develop
properly. If anything upsets that balance
(natural or artificial) it could affect their visual
development. The close proximity of a hand
held device, like the Nintendo 3DS, could
place more stress on eyesight than looking
at a television, through accommodation
and convergence, and it is more likely to
Words and pictures

e used by children for longer periods, so
it is recommended that parents of young
children switch off or restrict the 3D mode.
The bonus of 3D technology is that it
could highlight problems parents would
otherwise miss. If a child cannot see in 3D it
is a prompt to get their eyes tested to rule
out any underlying vision problems, such
as amblyopia, uncorrected refractive error
or convergence insufficiency. At this stage
the jury is out regarding links between
progressive myopia and excessive close
work.
However it isn’t all bad news: research
in the US suggests computer use among
pre-school children may actually make
them ‘school ready’. In one study of 122
pre-schoolers enrolled in a rural Head Start
Program 5 , children in the experimental
group worked on a computer for 15-20
minutes per day with their choice of
developmentally appropriate educational
software, while children in the control (noncomputer)
group received a standard Head
Start curriculum.
The children who worked on a computer
performed better on measures of school
readiness and cognitive development than
the children without computers.
The findings in the study support early
computer exposure before the preschool
years to help develop pre-school
skills among young children. However,
interestingly, using a computer for longer
periods or having access to electronic
or video games didn’t show the same
relationship.
The National Association for the Education
of Young Children (NAEYC) 6 in the US,
focussing on standards of excellence for
children up to the age of eight, makes specific
recommendations about computer use and
young children:
• Computers should supplement, not
replace, educational activities such as art,
books, music, outdoor exploration, dramatic
play and socialising.
• Parents should guide children’s use of
computers.
• Children should be encouraged to work
with a sibling or friend at the computer
whenever possible. Using computers with
others encourages important social skills.
• Parents should learn more about software
for young children, and carefully preview the
software their child uses.
As with anything else, children should not
use electronic media to excess. Children need
to develop social, motor and communication
skills and this is best achieved by a diverse
range of activities. To balance getting the
best educational experience by becoming
familiar with computers at an early age, the
References
1
http://www.childwise.co.uk/media/introduction.pdf
2
Generation M²: Media in the Life of 8 to 18 year olds, A report by The Kaiser
Foundation, January 2010 http://www.kff.org/entmedia/upload/8010.pdf
3
http://www.nintendo.co.uk/NOE/en_GB/nintendo_3ds_23802.html
4
http://www.samsung.com/au/tv/warning.html
same precautions we apply to adult VDU
users may reduce a young child’s risk of
fatigue-related eye strain, computer vision
syndrome 7 and computer ergonomics
problems.
Similarly to adults using computer screens
at work, a sensible regime would be to have
a break of five minutes after an hour’s use, or
even the 20-10 rule (10 seconds rest every
20 minutes). A ‘neutral’ sitting position is
important with a straight back and relaxed
shoulders, lower arms supported on the desk
and feet flat on the floor, with the knees at a
90 degree angle or more – so no legs tucked
under the chair.
What is important is that parents get
their children’s eyes checked before they
start school at three or four-years-old, as
recommended by the Government’s 4th
Hall Report. Also they should bring their
children to have their eyes tested if they can’t
see the 3D effect or are experiencing any
other visual symptoms or headaches, and
then have regular checks as advised by the
optometrist.
As 3D technology has only recently hit the
High Street in mass-consumer formats and
electronic media is becoming ever more
affordable, there is much more to be learned
about the effects long-term exposure has
on vision and what discomforts or changes
might occur. There is little scientific research
currently available and it may be years
before we have significant data from large
cohorts of users. In the meantime an eye
examination at an early age is a wise and
recommended move.
5
Early Childhood Computer Experience and Cognitive and Motor Development.
Xiaoming Li, PhD, Melissa S. Atkins, PhD. PEDIATRICS Vol. 113 No. 6 June 2004, pp.
1715-1722 http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/6/1715
6
http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/PSTECH98.PDF
7
Computer Vision Syndrome: A Review. Blehm C, Vishnu S, Khattak A, Mitra S, Yee RW.
Surv Ophthalmol. 2005 May-Jun;50(3):253-62. Review.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12334962
http://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/children-computer-vision-syndrome.htm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/education/article5555797.ece
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25/03/11 CHILDREN’S VISION SUPPLEMENT

COMMERCIAL FEATURE
Children should be
protected from UV
With summer fast approaching, Dr Julie Diem Le, director of
Zoobug underlines importance of UV eye protection for children
CHILDREN’S EYES are delicate, their sight is
still developing and so need greater care and
protection from UV light than adults.
Sadly, this message is not well known and
so children are still walking around with inadequate
eye protection even though their
parents are fully covered up. We are great at
protecting their skin and now just need to
remember their eyes in light of recent studies
linking UV radiation to eye cancer.
Children’s eyes, if exposed to the sun’s
rays without protection are at greater risk
from sunburn, or a condition known as
photokeratitis, where the cornea becomes
temporarily ‘burnt’ by ultraviolet UVB rays.
Although the condition is temporary, it can
lead to blurring of vision, and much distress
to young children, it requires urgent medical
attention. Whilst parents tend to be well
informed about the dangers of burning the
skin, and the importance of using high SPF
sun blocks for children, their eyes can easily
be forgotten about.
In fact, children’s eyes are at greater risk
than adults in the sun because the UV filtering
mechanism within the young human
lens is not yet fully developed. They are ultra
sensitive to both UV and blue light. And, by
the age of 18, children would have already
been exposed to more than half of their total
lifetime exposure. The damage starts early
and is cumulative.
In a recent piece of research conducted
by the University of Halle-Wittenberg in
Germany, published in 2009 in the medical
journal Ophthalmology, it was concluded
that there is an etiologic synergism between
light iris colour and the exposure of UV radiation.
People with light iris colour may have an
especially increased risk for uveal melanoma
if they are exposed to UV radiation. In addition
to this there has been well documented
evidence-based studies of a link between UV
light overexposure and other serious sight
threatening conditions like cataract and
macular degeneration.
Australia has always led the way in understanding
the importance of protecting
young eyes, given its incredible climate. The
evidence is so compelling that sunglasses
es in addition offer protection to international
standards; US (ANSI Z80.3:2001) and
Australian (AS/NZS 1067:2003) to allow the
wearer the right protection for that part of
the world, where the ozone layer has been
depleted.
Finally, while the protection in the lenses
is fundamental, the design of the frame is
also crucial for children, so that they feel comfortable
wearing their sunglasses for long periods
of the day if necessary. There is nothing
worse than an ill-fitting pair of sunglasses that
“Whilst parents tend to be well informed
about the dangers of burning the skin, their
child’s eyes can easily be forgotten about”
are being made a compulsory part of every
child’s school uniform and incorporated
into the Slip-Slap-Slop and Wrap a pair of
sunglasses campaign.
In the UK, the majority of children’s
sunglasses meet the UK standard BE EN
1836:2005 which means that the lenses
block up to 99.99% of harmful UV light and
are, therefore, of a same quality to those used
in standard adult sunglasses. Some sunglass-
rubs on the skin and around the ears or nose.
The frame should cover the complete
eye area and sit comfortably on the nose,
without touching the cheeks. Adjustable
nose bridges and side arms and a sports
headband will help keep the frame on the
face of even the most active child. A perfect
fit for kids is absolutely essential to make
wearing sunglasses enjoyable and a part of
everyday life!
15
25/03/11 CHILDREN’S VISION SUPPLEMENT

Diploma in
practice:
DUBLIN 29-31 May Hilton Dublin Airport Hotel
LONDON 19-21 June Harpenden House Hotel