Page 70 - Demo

viewing distance or angle, all together can enhance discomfort and arouse uncorrected vision problems to the child.
Another challenge of home-schooling is that some children may not have the chance to get vision screenings that they usually get in school -- often writing referrals to get a comprehensive eye exam by eye care professionals. Besides, parents may not know how vision problems appear on their children while learning at home. Nowadays, the time that children spend in physical activities become less, affecting the child’s physical well-being and academic performance.
Eye Health Concerns for Children in Classes
Children returning to classroom in-person settings might experience unique eye health challenges, too, speci cally related to SARS-CoV-2-the virus causing COVID-19-transmissibility through the eyes. Whereas SARS-CoV-2 transmission happens essentially through generation of respiratory droplets -- the reason why schools are providing seating that is two metres apart -- other evidence of alternative transmission modes varies and may involve ocular tissue or uids.To help constrain the spread of coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) exhorts against touching not only the mouth or nose but also the eyes. Back-to-school eye exams are crucial for assuring not only overall healthy visual function but also that pupils comprehend the signi cance of adhering to good eye health hygiene and are appropriately seeking care when issues do emerge, such as red or pink eyes as evidence suggests red eye may be present in COVID-19-positive patients.
Luckily, vision problems such as simple refractive
errors can be corrected by eyeglasses or contact lenses that often help children see better. Here are some key points to take into account concerning the new approach to learning from home or in school :
Pay attention to the kid’s behavior throughout the day
In order for parents to gure out if their child has a vision issue, they should pay attention to his behavior throughout the day whether their kid is learning from home or in school as for example:
- Losing their place while reading or using a nger to guide their eyes when reading
- Consistently sitting too close to the TV or holding a book too close
- Closing one eye to read, watch TV or see better - Squinting or tilting the head to see better
- Complaining of headaches or tired eye
- Frequent eye rubbing
- Sensitivity to light and/or excessive tearing
- Avoiding using a computer, because it “hurts his eyes”
- Avoiding activities which require near vision, such as reading or homework, or distance vision, such as participatinginsportsorotherrecreationalactivities - Receiving lower grades than usual
Schedule for routine children's eye care check up
As children progress in school, they confront enhancing demands on their visual abilities. When certain visual skills have not developed, or are poorly developed, their academic and reading performance become dif cult and stressful. That’s why it is crucial for children to have comprehensive eye examinations that not only test a child’s vision, but can also rule out other ocular abnormalities that can in uence eye health and learning in the future. Studying from home learning setting, school screenings is not an option, but there are a few online tests that can serve as a rst step for screening vision, as the name implies. Parents should make sure that their child gets a comprehensive eye exam from an eye care professional as a regular part of your back-to-school process.
Minimize child’s exposure to blue light from digital devices
When spending so much time on a digital screen, children and adults develop digital eye strain, blurred vision, dry eye and headaches,and can lead
EYEZONE Issue 91-92 May / August 2020 70
70