Why is sun protection important for children?
Children on average are spending more time outdoors than the average adult and receive approximately three times the annual adult dose of UV rays. Children’s eyes usually have larger pupils and clearer crystalline lenses. This allows more UV light to reach the retina. Even more so if they are fair and blue-eyed, as there is less pigmentation in their irises and skin.
Overexposure to UV rays can damage your eyes, causing similar effects to sunburn. It can also cause issues in later life, like cataracts, a decrease in vision and macular degeneration.
Even on overcast days UV rays can reflect or pass through clouds and also reflect from tall buildings.
The best way to protect your children’s eyes from UV rays is with certified sunglasses that are 100% UVC-400 rated and above. We must not forget spectacle wearing children also need prescription sun protection.
The choosing of sun/eyewear is fun and easy with the TW&C eyecare professionals who are trained to suggest frames that best fit face shapes and that give you maximum sun protection and comfort. The process is a very inclusive and shared selection process, yet always giving the most suitable options for your child’s visual needs. They take into consideration the anatomical structure of a child’s face and advice on the best frame fitting and prescription lens requirements.
They have carefully selected independent eyewear brands that are designed and manufactured to specific parameters taken from measuring children of different age groups; and are passionate about helping and rewarding your child.
They also provide the best prescription sport, swimming and sport specific eyewear.
Younger children often don’t verbalise any visual problems because they do not have a point of comparison. Without having an eye test, there is a risk a problem may not be spotted which could affect their development and their ability to pay attention in class.
There are a lot of things an eye examination can tell us about your child’s vision even if children cannot tell us directly or specifically. They can have an eye examination at any age. If you have any concerns about your child’s eyes or if there is a history of childhood eye conditions in your family, such as a lazy eye, a squint or needing spectacles at a young age, an eye test is particularly important. It is usually a good idea for children to have a full eye examination before they go into full-time education.
Myopia is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. If one parent is myopic, the risk factor increases by 3x. If both parents are myopic, that increases to 6x. The younger a child becomes short-sighted, the higher the chance of high myopia (greater than -8).
Environmental risks include long hours of near focussing (for example studying, reading or screen use), spending too little time outdoors, and incorrect or under-corrected glasses.
When you are able to see objects clearly in a distance, but closer objects are out of focus, this is known as hypermetropia (long-sighted). When left uncorrected, text will appear blurry, there will be constant headaches and eyestrain when trying to focus nearby. In some cases, depending on the strength of correction needed, this can affect a child’s academic performance in school.
Astigmatism is a type of refractive error due to an irregularly shaped cornea (commonly explained as the front of your eye shaped as a rugby ball). This condition results in distorted and blurry vision at any distance. Other symptoms include eye straining, headaches, difficulty seeing at night and eye irritation. Uncorrected astigmatism can affect your children’s development and education.
In the past 5 or so years, we have now developed a much better understanding of the causes of myopic progression, and techniques have been developed with great success in slowing down the rate of myopia. These methods include:
- Ortho-Keratology (Ortho-K) which are special contact lenses which are worn at night, while asleep. They gently, subtly, reversibly and painlessly reshape the front layer of the cornea, so that when the lenses are removed the vision is corrected the following day, with no need for glasses or contact lenses during the day.
- Soft myopia management daily disposable lenses (Misight or Naturalvue) which are specially designed soft lenses, worn during the day.
- Spectacle lenses (Miyosmart from Hoya and Stellest from Esslior) which are very special lenses worn as spectacles. They both correct vision when properly dispensed and worn during waking hours
- Atropine eye drops have been successfully prescribed for slow myopia progression in children, however, it is rarely prescribed in
the UK.
Should your child require vision correction, the optometrist is able to assess your child’s suitability. There is no minimum age to start wearing contact lenses. The optometrist will analyse your child’s prescription and other parameters such as cleanliness, dexterity, and motivation. Additional teaching, handling and assessment appointments are required as part of the fitting process.
Contact lenses and Myopia Management contact lenses that will help control the progression of Myopia and a great way to let your children excel at their favourite sports.
68 Northcote Road, SW11 6QL
80 Lordship Lane, SE22 8HF