KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

insider wrote:...Eventually my kids will go through lasik to free themselves from contact lenses / glasses (my daughter wears contact lenses from Sec 1 but my son was not allowed due to his carelessness in managing hygiene)...

I heard an interesting comment from a friend that his doctor advised him that the best age is really after 40, when we start getting long sighted which makes it difficult for us to read things. In this case, 1 eye will be corrected for short sightedness while the other for long. When we get used to using our dominant eye for seeing far or reading near, we won't need any kind of glasses.

insider wrote:When I was 9 years old, I had my first pair of glasses.

I was diagnosed with shortsightedness at P4 but only had my first pair of glasses when I was in Sec1 - cos my parents couldn't afford another pair of specs and also they believed that the poor vision will correct itself.

Can poor vision really correct itself?

There is a debate on whether nearsighted are inherited from gene. below website said not true. It actually recommend to put on plus lens (far-sighted lense) for kids to prevent myopia. Anyone has use this method before?

www.preventmyopia.org

My son was refered to the POlyclinic by the doctor who examine him in school for a re-test for his eyesight. The result was no good as he has to wear spectacles due to short sighted. 100 degrees for both eyes. Just wanna ask, does it mean that he has to wear the specs whold day including in the house? He keeps telling me he can still see eventhough he doesn't wear his specs. Some people say the more he wears, it will worsen his condition cos his degree not much. I'm so confused..Does he has to wear when he's reading a book or doing his homework?

lill wrote:...Does he has to wear when he's reading a book or doing his homework?

My optician says to wear it only in the classroom or watching TV. Then again, he is no opthomologist.

[Moderator's note: Topic selected for Portal publication.]

Heyya...

If child is not having any vision problems prior to pre-school
age, then shouldn't need to go for any eye exam.

Both my children had their first eye check up in their kindergarten.
Twice, which was during K1 and K2... Prior to the eye exam,
children will bring back a letter and consent form for parents to
sign in allowing their children to be examined. A report will be duly
given on the day of the eye exam itself, done during school hours.
The letter will indicate the organisation conducting the eye exam,
and what kind of exam will be done in usually a week or two. This
helps parents ensure their children will be in school on the said date
of the eye exam. There will be additional memo for parents, whose
children are required to go for follow up eye test at their GP or the
Polyclinic.

Both my children also had their eye exam done (free) during their
4-yr old developmental assessment at the Polyclinic. During this time,
children are encouraged to know all the alphabets. Apart from it being
a part of a child's milestone it also assists in the efficiency of the eye
exam itself.

Both my children had to go for follow up, so we went to Polyclinic.
P2 was diagnosed as having mild astigmatism. When i asked what
that actually meant, the lady said in layman terms, the eyeball not
exactly round. At that statement, i looked at P2 and joked with her,
"Oh gosh! Your eyeballs are SQUARE!" Lady was a little tickled and
continued to explain that, it meant P2 more often had to rely on one
to look at her surroundings or the school whiteboard. If there were
some written notes on either left or right side of the board, she tends
to turn her head to look at them. If she looks straight and tries to take
a look at the notes, it'll be sort of produces a blurry effect in vision...
Some sort like that lah, how she explained.. Not in exact words tho.
Was sent off with results from the astig test which was done twice
just to be sure she said.. (how sweet) and no glasses required.

K2 was diagnosed as heavily myopic at 4 years old (Polyclinic Exam).
But doc said too early to put her on glasses. Not such a good idea...
Sent us back with a follow up letter to return in 6 months time. Was
told to give her lotsa carrots to eat! And look at greenery as much as
she can to help improve... and pray it does improve cause
she may need to don glasses for sure.

After 6 mths, it was slightly better. Doc still said he'll want us to monitor
her reading and viewing the tele habits. Ensure good posture during
reading and writing, also reminded to provide sufficient lighting during
such activities. No follow up required as by the next 6 mths, she will be
doing her eye exam in K1. The people will have a detailed assessment
sent to the Polyclinic for the next one. And if her vision test shows no
improvement, off spectacle hunting it wud be...

At K1, test came back....
Perfect vision.

Now... i wonder, how'd that happen... heheeehe...

Sometimes I am a bit worry of my children' eye health. Everyday they read, watch tv, study, play, etc... All activities needs their eyes. Thus, I am worry they will develop myopia very soon.

Any tips how to take care of the children' eyes ? Any supplements / vitamins to prevent / slow down myopia in children? Thanks!

hi allseasons,
you may want to take a look at these 2 related threads.
How soon to send your child for a eyes examination?
Glasses and kids

I do know brands has one supplement to promote healthy vision, but I have not tried that yet.

allseasons wrote:Sometimes I am a bit worry of my children' eye health. Everyday they read, watch tv, study, play, etc... All activities needs their eyes. Thus, I am worry they will develop myopia very soon. ...

For me, the most important thing to note is the amount of light at your children's study area. Make sure it is brightly lit when they are doing their activities in there.

Thanks Jedamum, i will try to read the links. Btw, some people said that wolfberries will be helpful for eyesight. Is it right? How to consume it? Both my hsb and I are wearing glasses, so i guess both my sons will have the genetic factor to be myopic too.. . Just want to prevent it if I can..

Agree with you Chief. A good study lamp is needed for the children, so they won't read in the dark room. Remember when I was young, when my mum asked me to sleep and switched off the light, I always read with a torch in my bedroom...