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Early UV Protection

Did you know that an estimated 80% of a person’s lifetime exposure of UV occurs before the age of 18?

(WHO Fact sheet 261, July 2001)

The eye lenses, unlike the rest of our body, can’t repair themselves once damaged. Children and young adults are more susceptible to sun damage to the eyes. Being children, it is important that they have outdoor play time; it is crucial, however, that they have proper sun protection (sunscreen and a hat at the least). We would highly recommend that children start good habits of wearing wrap-around sunglasses with good UV protection when they play for prolonged periods outside. If your child requires vision correction, they can also wear prescription sunglasses. The Cancer Council NSW reported that sun exposure in the first 20 years increase your chance of developing eye cancer.

Australians are well educated on the dangers of prolonged sun exposure (without proper sunscreen); however, we forget the impact of the sun on our eyes.
Sunglasses are not just a fashion statement; they should also be seen as protection for our eyes from the sun, in the same way that sunscreen protects our skin. We need to understand what to look for in sunglasses to achieve the best sun protection, vision and comfort in the look you like. All proper sunglasses or optical retailers are required to provide clear labelling according to Australian Standards to help you select safe and appropriate sunglasses:

Category 0 – Fashion Spectacles (not proper sunglasses): some UV protection with very low sun glare reduction
Category 1 – Fashion Spectacles (not proper sunglasses): limited sun glare reduction with some UV protection and not for night driving
Category 2 – Sunglasses: with medium sun glare protection and good UV protection
Category 3 – Sunglasses: high sun glare protection with good UV protection (100%)
Category 4 – Sunglasses (special purpose): very high sun glare protection with good UV protection (100%)

The safest bet is to look for sunglasses with 100% UV protection, which means that the lenses will protect our children’s eyes from both UVA and UVB radiation. Also watch out for sunglasses that are labelled as “toys”, as they are fashion glasses and offer no sun protection at all to our children. Personally, as a mother, I would highly suggest to look for category 3 and 4 sunglasses. Start the good habit of getting your children to wear a hat when they play outside from early age, and when they can manage sunglasses encourage them to do so when the UV level reaches 3. If you are concerned about your current children’s or your sunglasses, most optometrists can help you assess them. The good news is, if you already have your favourite sunglasses with good UV protection, scratches on lenses are considered safe from a UV perspective (it could, however, obscure your vision depending on how deep and where the scratches are located).

Sonya Wijaya (B. Optom. PG. Spec. Cert. Cont. Lenses/ Ther. Endorsed) is an optometrist who practices in Optical In Sight (Doncaster East VIC) www.opticalinsight.com.au

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Eyesight Tips for Extended ‘Zoom Meetings’

One of the most important ways to prevent spread of Covid19 is to stay home (other than essential work/ shopping and exercising) and maintain social distancing. This however has lead to increased screentime (study, work and social interaction) for us and our children.

Many of us are sitting at home doing work from home and supervising our children doing their online schooling as well as supervising their digital social interactions. The harmful blue and violet light from all these devices can disrupt the children’s (and ours) normal circadian rhythm. Prolonged screentime and near work also lead to eyestrain and myopia (shortsightedness) which we have witnessed in the last 3 months.

It is crucial to refrain using digital devices in the last 2 hours before bedtime. It is also important to take regular breaks every 20 minutes as well as keeping good working distance from screen. Average good UV exposure per day of 2 hours is recommended to reduce risk of myopia; and with current restriction in Stage 4 in Victoria we are allowed to have 1 hour exercising outside our home within 5 km. The rest of the 1 hour can be obtained by sitting outside while children have lunch or breaks from online study.

Simple tips during Stage 4 lockdown for eye health:

Increase working distance and ensure regular breaks every 20 minutes

Designate sleep time; pick a regular sleep pattern; most children should be in bed by 8 pm, and no screentime for up to 2 hours before bed; thus in that case no screentime after 6 pm

Encourage extra exercises that they missed as they no longer run around with their friends at school as well as time outdoors within what is allowed with the new restrictions

Create family devices plan; also create restriction in the whole family’s digital time; such that children see that we are also doing the right thing so that compliance is easier

Dedicate a free from screen day once a week; as their school days are packed with online activities, take one weekend day off from screen and encourage sports or outdoor activities that day (and time in the backyard or simply family time with no screen)

Pick up a new hobby or skills; doing family arts together or simply doing puzzles or games in the family can be fun too

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Outdoor Time for Eyes

It appears that the incidence of children who need glasses because of short-sightedness (myopia) has been rising. This has been quite a consistent finding across the globe. Today’s kids spend more time indoors than outdoors. especially post-pandemic.

With winter approaching, it is important to allow extra outdoor time when possible to reduce the risk of childhood myopia. Incidences of myopia in children is higher in different parts of the world. In the USA (and similarly in Australia), by adulthood we have 1 out of 3 people with myopia. In parts of Asia where the children spend most time indoors, the myopia incidence is much higher (up to 90%). In the past, the average age of children developing myopia is 12 or 13 years of age; however, now children as young as 5 or 6 have been getting onsets of myopia. When children get myopia at a younger age, it generally progresses at a much greater rate, leading to greater risks of eye diseases when they are older.

Research shows that children who spend extended time reading or concentrating on close-up objects (including screen time) develop myopia at a younger age and the progression is faster. Other researches linked the myopia in children to genetic influence and outdoor time. Newer studies have backed outdoor time as a means to reduce the risk of myopia in children. This outdoor time factor has been significantly shown to reduce the risk of myopia, however the real reason why this is the case is unknown; it could be because children’s eyes focus on longer distance objects outside, or because they are exposed to greater amounts of light.

It is important for our children, even during winter, to spend at least 2 hours outdoor when possible as the first line of prevention of myopia. A new study from the University of Canberra also showed that once light reaches a certain intensity (outdoor light certainly emits higher intensity measured in unit of lux), a chemical of dopamine is released within the eye, which stops the elongation at the back of the eye. On the days that outdoor time is not possible, limiting screen time and near tasks (max 2 hours a day) can be beneficial, as well as taking regular breaks while doing near work (20-20 rule; every 20 minutes take 20 seconds rest).

Sonya Wijaya (B. Optom. Ther. Endorsed/ PG. Spec. Cert. Contact Lenses and Paedriatics) is an optometrist who practices in Optical In Sight (Doncaster East VIC) www.opticalinsight.com.au

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Covid-19 Safety Announcement

Back to stage 3 restrictions; what does this mean and how does this affect your eye health? Here are answers to some questions you may have:

  • What is considered essential?
    You are due for your follow up or eye review, you receive a reminder for an eye check-up or review, or you’re experiencing eye issues such as eye pain, soreness, visual fatigue, blurred vision, and other eye related issues from extended screen time or other problems.
  • Who cannot come to appointments?
    If you or any member of your household have been unwell or are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, we ask you to please defer appointments for at least two weeks from clearance of these symptoms and illnesses. Additionally, if you’ve had a recent eye test with excellent results and no new issues have risen since the check up, we ask you to stay home until after restrictions lift. Finally, if you have just returned from overseas or interstate travel you should defer any appointments for at least two weeks.
  • My glasses broke, is that an essential?
    Yes it is. Your eye health is important and so is your ability to see and function well while working at home (or onsite) is too!
  • My eyes feel worse but I am not 100% sure?
    If your last eye check was recent please call one of our optometrists to discuss your results and we will advise you accordingly. If your last eye test was more than 6 months ago and you feel that your eyes are worse please do not delay your eye review. Many eye conditions are best treated and managed early. If you are unsure if this applies to you please call us to speak to one of our optometrists.
  • What precautions are we taking to guarantee your safety?
    We follow very strict and hygiene protocols. All of our staff are trained to use proper personal protective attire (PPA) and frequently wash their hands followed by immediate hand sanitisation  to ensure everyone’s safety. We use alcohol swabs as well as viraclean, which is TGA approved, to wipe every single surface; including tables, benches, door handles, toilets, light switches, the door itself, as well as every single frame instore after EACH person enters and exits the premise. Temperatures are also checked prior to bringing patients into the consulting rooms and social distancing measures are taken, including well marked areas for customers waiting for service. We’ve also taken extra caution by encouraging a 2m social distancing protocol, rather than the recommended 1.5m.
  • My family would like to come as they are all due. Can we all come as a family?
    When you book for 3 or more people we encourage you to be seen by two optometrists to allow sufficient time between appointments for sanitisation. However, if you prefer to have all members see a particular optometrist, you will be split into smaller groups. i.e. One Adult and one child while another adult and your other child( or children) wait inside your car for their appointment.
  • I need to pickup my glasses or contact lenses.
    We encourage that you book an allocated time to ensure that one of our staff members will be able to assist you immediately. This prevents having to wait outside while we have other people on the premise and to allow enough time to sanitize everything to ensure your safety. However, we understand that you are busy and sometimes it is hard to know when you can take time off work, in this instance we ask for your patience if the front door is locked and to wait at the marked area outside. As soon as someone leaves the premise (when we reach our max capacity) we will clean and sanitize the clinic and then welcome you in store.

    Lastly, please rest assured that we are 100% concerned about everyone’s wellbeing and thus new protocols are in place. We are in this together!

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The Myopia Epidemic – Is Your Child at Risk?

Myopia – Epidemic or Pandemic

Myopia (shortsightedness) have reached epidemic proportions in some part of the world. In 2019, the American National Eye Institute warns that 39 million Americans will become shortsighted in 2020. In Australia, we have seen similar trend; 36% of our population will become shortsighted by 2020; and this figure was estimated before Covid-19 pandemic which is causing screen time to increase for all of us and our children. This estimate will rise at the end of 2020 without intervention. Myopia is becoming a serious public health concern in Australia, yet statistics showed that 65% of Australian parents are not aware of what it is, and only 12% are aware of health risks that myopia has. In 1983, typical age of myopia onset is 11 years old, however in 2000 average age of onset is 8 years old.

As a Melbourne mom, myself and my husband both have myopia since the age of 10-11 years old. We have to be aware of how to manage our children’s risks and how to manage it.

Risk factors such as genetic and environmental both play part. Modern lifestyles such as low levels of outdoor activity (less than two hours a day for children is considered low), low light exposure, and prolonged near tasks such as reading, Ipads for home schooling and all the online classes that our children have.

Having a discussion with eye health practitioner when our children are having their regular eye examination is crucial to manage this. Everyone’s eyesight and case are different, and there is no single approach that is best for everyone. General rules of thumb:

20-20-20 Rule; every 20 minutes of near task, take 20 seconds break to look at an object 20 feet away (i.e. look out the window)

Always have good light during near tasks

Better posture at near; try to sit upright

Good working distance for near tasks; 30-40 cm

Increase level of outdoor activity; despite Covid-19 lockdown ensure that all our children (and ourselves) try to stay healthy and spend more time exercising outdoor when possible in your local areas (and always ensure that you comply with current state restriction with social distancing)

Concerningly, myopia pandemic has reached into younger cohorts. What can we do about it? Choice of treatment strategies such as low dose atropine eye drops combined with better posture at near or Ortho-K lenses and/ or other myopia management are indicated and it is important to have an open discussion with your eye health practitioner for long term management

Sonya Wijaya (B. Optom. Ther. Endorsed/ PG. Spec. Cert. Cont. Lenses and Paedriatics) is a family optometrist based in Doncaster East www.opticalinsight.com.au (Ph 98415798)

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How can parents help create a healthy eye environment?

Good vision is important for a child’s educational, physical and social development. It is important for parents to identify and recognise the possible symptoms of vision problems. One in five Australian children suffers from an undetected vision problem, or requires regular monitoring.

Most of the children with eye problems are not aware that they have any eye problems, as they assume what they see is normal.

Creating a healthy eye environment at home is a good start and here are useful tips to achieve it:

  • Take your child to visit an optometrist on a regular basis.
  • Always read in good and even lighting, and encourage regular breaks.
  • Spend a few hours outdoors each day, and remember sun protection.
  • Wear sunglasses and a hat while outside to avoid UV damage.
  • Ensure the room is well lit and reduce glare from lights or windows when watching TV or playing on smart devices.
  • Limit computer sessions and have regular short breaks.
  • Limit TV watching to less than 2 hours, and keep a good distance away from the screen.
  • Have the top of the computer or TV slightly below eye level.
  • Ensure a healthy diet that includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, nuts and fish to help maintain eye and body health.
  • A variety of activities should be included in child’s play: climbing, games, exploring, building and general play.

Children also benefit from playground or outdoor play for their social, physical and thinking development. The best way to ensure your young children are safe in a playground is to supervise them, especially when they are trying more complicated activities. One of the biggest advantages of outdoor play is that increased outdoor time leads to reducing myopia (shortsightedness) progression. Another benefit of outdoor play is the common soil bacterium, which is believed to have antidepressant qualities and has been shown to increase learning ability. However, there are possible side effects with increased exposure to UV light from the sun; but the effect is minimal when proper UV protection is given to the child (sunscreen for the skin and sunglasses and/or hat for the eyes). We will cover UV protection in greater detail in our next article.

In the first year of life, all infants should be routinely screened for potential problems with the GP, pediatrician or an optometrist. Around the age of 3 and 5, every child should have an eye examination by the family optometrist or doctor. Optometrist Association Australia recommends every school-age child should have an annual eye examination to ensure early detection of any problems, as most eye problems are easily treatable when detected early enough.

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Parenting Children Born in “Computer Generation”

In our days; our parents used to warn us about sitting too close to TV can harm our eyes. Another common problems we used to have is reading in the dark can harm our eyes. In this generation, it is even tougher to “unglue” our children’s eyes to the screen or near work.

We have come across many young children with myopia (shortsightedness or inability to see things clearly at distance), headaches, eyestrain, and poor back or neck posture in our eye practice in the last few years. It is even tougher with introduction of ipad and laptop at school as the children may yearn for ipad or other screen use especially during school holiday.

It is indeed hard to say whether the ipad or other screentime causes myopia/ other eye issues; as genetic may also have a role. However; it is evident that more eye problems arise from children who are glued to any screens such as phone, ipad, tablet and TV. Of course our eyes can adapt well to focus at close distance but our eyes are not built to spend too much time doing it. Another problem that may arise from screentime is dry eyes as our eyes do not blink as frequently while watching something on the screen.

Even more worrying, the screen we use daily emits blue light; this can be harmful in prolonged use especially in children’s retina as they absorb more blue light compared to adult’s eyes. Researches have shown that there is correlation between prolonged screentime with early onset of myopia (shortsightedness) or hyperopia (longsightedness). More often than not, children are not aware that they have any eye issues; thus it is parents’ responsibility to take the children to have their eyes checked regularly (at least once a year) to the optometrist or ophthalmologist.

It is impossible to completely rule out screentime in our children’s daily life; however if we follow some general rule. To limit its negative effect; children (and adults) should limit screentime to 20-20-20 (after 20 minutes, take a break for 20 seconds to look at an object 20 feet away) and we should not let our children sit too close to a screen as well (3/4 of an arm’s length) as using screen in a well lit room.

Eating healthy and spending time outdoors or getting your children to be actively involved in other activities also help especially during school holiday.

Sonya Wijaya (B. Optom. PG. Spec. Cert. Cont. Lenses/ Ther. Endorsed) is an optometrist who practices in Optical In Sight (Doncaster East VIC) www.opticalinsight.com.au

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Impact of Myopia (shortsightedness) in Australian Children

Children who spend more time outdoors have a smaller chance of becoming shortsighted. Greater time spent doing near work such as reading, writing, and working on computer/ iPad/ iPhone and other digital devices will amount to a greater chance of becoming shortsighted. 

Myopia in a nutshell

Myopia (shortsightedness) is a condition in which close objects appear clearly but far ones don’t. Myopia occurs when the eye grows too long from front to back; thus images focus in front of your retina instead of on your retina.

Myopia is rising…

The recent Sydney Myopia Study found 31% of our 17-year-olds were myopic which is doubled from a decade ago. Other global myopia studies have also shown similar figures. More recent studies indicate that myopic macular degeneration and other related eye diseases are becoming serious issues globally.

Genetics play a major part in myopia, however recent studies documented that environmental causes our children to develop myopia in younger age.

 Outdoor play and good posture at near work can help prevent myopia

Children who spend more time outdoors have a smaller chance of becoming shortsighted. Greater time spent doing near work such as reading, writing, and working on computer/ ipad/ iphone and other digital devices will amount to greater chance of becoming shortsighted.

In this day and age, as parents, we can’t prevent our children from using digital devices however parent should be in charge of setting good habit for the children. Regular break doing near tasks (i.e 20 seconds break for every 20 minutes), good posture (30 cm distance), good lighting (even with digital screen always turn on the light in the room), and encourage more outdoor play all are crucial.

Interestingly, as parent myself, I regularly got asked by other parents how to stop children “abusing” their ipad times and how much time do I gave my child screentime. There is no one same rule for everyone; I would say that everything in moderation. American Journal of Paedriatic Ophthalmology indicated than children under the age of 2 should have no screentime.

Personally, I did not give my daughter any screentime until she was 4 years old (with exception of quick videocalls with grandparents). Now that she is at school; she gets maximum of 30 minutes a day (combined TV, ipad and school ipad use). I often prescribe children with other sports, music and engaging activities to encourage outdoor and social time.

 What happens if my child is diagnosed with myopia?

Once myopia is found; it is usually irreversible. However, we want to prevent them from getting worse. There are myopia control measures that can be taken such as peripheral defocus glasses, myopia control contact lenses as well as Ortho-K lenses, and atropine eye drops in safe low dose. The aim of myopia control is to prevent myopia from getting to moderate to high level such that they are in higher risk of macular degeneration, retinal detachment and cataracts as they get older.

Sonya Wijaya (B. Optom./ PG. Spec. Cert. Cont. Lenses and Paedriatics/ Ther. Endorsed) is an optometrist at Optical In Sight (Doncaster East VIC) www.opticalinsight.com.au

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We Remain Open for Urgent Care

We Remain Open for Urgent Care

Under Victoria’s Stage 4 restrictions, we are pleased to advise that we are permitted to provide urgent eye care services for our patients and local community.

What is Urgent Care?
– Care that is necessary to prevent deterioration of an established condition
If you have or are due for an appointment for the management of an existing eye condition during Stage 4, we will be in contact with you to confirm how we can provide ongoing care at this time.

– Care for conditions that are likely to pose a risk to your eye health or impact your ability to function day to day including for work, driving etc.
This includes:
A sudden loss of vision
Pain and redness in the eye
Seeing haloes, or circles around lights
New floaters or flashes of light
Bulging or swelling of the eye
Double vision
Sudden and persistent blurred vision
An eye injury

– Urgent replacement of spectacles due to breakage or loss.

We’re Here to Help
Please contact our friendly team who will be happy to advise whether a face to face appointment is appropriate for you under stage 4 restrictions.

You will not require a medical referral for urgent care treatment, and you are able to travel more than 5km for a clinical appointment if deemed necessary. We recommend you have your appointment confirmation available as a point of reference if you are asked.

Keeping You Safe
In addition to a COVID-Safe Plan, we continue to maintain stringent infection control procedures and preventative measures so you can access expert eye care in a safe, controlled environment.

Need to Order Contact Lenses?
Call our practice to arrange contactless delivery of contact lenses to your home.

We’ll be Rescheduling Routine Eyecare
If you have a routine eye care appointment that is considered non-urgent and can be safely delayed, we will be in contact with you in the coming days to organize a new appointment time after Stage 4 restrictions are expected to end.

We look forward to continuing to provide you with an expert service you can trust during this time and thank you for your ongoing support.

If you have any questions at all about your vision, eye health or our services, please don’t hesitate to call us on (03) 9841 5798

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Top Tips to Survive Hay Fever Effects on Eyes

What is Hay Fever Caused By?

Several active substances can cause allergic conjunctivitis including animal fur, mould, dust mites, makeup and eye drops, however, pollen is the main one. 

Why does hay fever affect our eyes?

Along with symptoms like sneezing, congestion and a runny nose, most of hay fever sufferers also experience itchy eyes, watery eyes, red eyes and swollen eyelids.

The cause of those swollen and red eyes is an organic compound known as histamine, which plays a major role in allergic eye reactions. Histamine is produced as part of a local immune response to trigger inflammation, causing the blood vessels to dilate. When we’re exposed to a substance that we’re allergic to, our immune system attempts to protect the body and starts a chain reaction that causes cells to release histamine into the bloodstream. The histamine then acts on a person’s eyes, so they become itchy, red, puffy and watery.

Top tips to survive hay fever effects on eyes

  • Wear wraparound sunglasses: They can help reduce pollen contact with the eyes.
  • Shower at night: Wash your hair and change your clothes after spending time outdoors to remove any pollen from your skin and hair as it may stay on your pillow.
  • Dry washed clothes indoors during the peak pollen season.
  • Stay indoors when the pollen count is high: Different types of pollen can affect different people, although there can be a crossover.
  • Cut alcohol as it may increase allergy symptoms. Alcohol contains histamines.
  • Clean the house: Vacuum, dust and change your sheets and pillowcases regularly.
  • Close your windows
  • Buy an indoor air purifier
  • Create a ‘barrier’: Putting Vaseline on the inside of your nostril may avoid the pollen from attaching inside your nose.
  • Avoid the peak hour for pollen: Between 8–10 am and 5–7 pm is when it’s at its worst.
  • Get a good night’s sleep: This helps your body to recover.
  • Reduce stress
  • Get fit: Research shows it reduces the symptoms of hay fever.
  • Eat well: Omega 3 oils, leafy greens and brightly coloured fruit and vegetables are great for eye health.
  • Remove your contacts: Consider wearing glasses instead as the surface of contact lenses can attract and accumulate airborne allergens. Or consider switching to daily disposable contacts that you discard after a single use to avoid the build-up of allergens and other debris on your lenses.
  • Use eye drops: There are many non-prescription eye drops available to relieve itchiness, redness and watery eyes caused by allergies.
  • A cold compress on your eyes: This will help soothe red inflamed eyes.
  • Avoid rubbing your eyes: This may seem to provide temporary relief but it causes the release of yet more histamine, and will only add to the inflammation that is already there.

How to treat affected eyes?

  • Antihistamine eye drops
  • Lubricating artificial tear drops
  • Anti-inflammatory eye drops
  • Oral antihistamines

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