Children could be at risk of missing out on essential eye care, according to new data from health insurer Bupa.
Optometrists surveyed revealed that 27 per cent of children who underwent an eye test in 2024 were myopic, or near-sighted, prompting a back-to-school call to action.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing more and more parents telling us their children used to have perfect eyesight but are now squinting or having difficulty concentrating in class," Bupa Optical Optometrist Karen Makin said.
“With cost-of-living pressures affecting many families, it’s important to remember that eye tests are bulk-billed for eligible Medicare card holders."
Ms Makin said today’s children are far more likely to live with myopia than ever before as we continue to scratch the surface of the long-term effects of lockdowns, homeschooling and increased device usage.
Latest Stories
Myopia, or near-sightedness, means objects far away are blurred or not in focus, while things close up are in focus.
“This is part of a concerning trend of kids spending increased time in front of screens and less time playing outdoors exposed to natural light which can help reduce the risk of developing myopia or help to slow down the progression of myopia. Mobile phones are a particular concern as they tend to be held closer to the face meaning the eyes are continually focusing at a close distance, not varying their focus from one distance to another,” Ms Makin said.
“A child’s eyesight can change very quickly which means annual eye tests are a great way to track any emerging issues and address them before they start to impact their schooling or general development."
Cowra optometrist Rob Webster encouraged parents to bring their children in for a check as term one of school is already underway, to spot any issues from symptoms like watery eyes, squinting or headaches.
Mr Webster suggested that growing rates of myopia across the world might be more due to less time spent outside, rather than simply a result of 'screen time.'
"The term epidemic does get thrown around a bit sometimes, but one thing I'd say is that in Cowra and Australia, we're somewhat insulated from it with an absence of a big ethnic population" he said, "It's a bigger deal in Indian, Chinese and Asian populations in general. It's poorly understood why that is, and the kneejerk thought is that 'people are all in front of screens now' but it turns out, in Australia - where the number of affected people is six million, or 20% of the population - already have myopia. and if the rates were to continue, we'd have 50% of people becoming short sighted."
"It's a complex mix of environmental and genetic factors. There's no doubt you're in the crosshairs if Mum and Dad are short sighted. But the idea that it's all screen use is has conflicting evidence. Most of it suggests it's not straight computer use, it's that when you're doing that, you're not outside."
Mr Webster said balancing sun safety and outside time was a matter for parents, but offsetting screen time with exposure to the outdoors would offer protection.
"Treading carefully, we want about 90 minutes of outside time a day, and avoid the highest UV in the early mornings and evenings." he said.
When it came to testing, Mr Webster added that although Cowra didn't have the alarming statistics seen across the world due to environmental factors, testing was still valuable to spot the early signs of short sightedness.
"I'm often asked how often kids should be tested if they're not showing symptoms. As a rule of thumb, I would say ages three, six and nine. If Mum and Dad are short sighted, it'd be good to make that more frequent, every one to two years. There have been significant advances in spectacle lenses and contact lenses, as well as therapies if we start to see short sightedness. Like all these things, it's better to get onto it early."
The latest data from the Child Myopia Working Group in 2022 suggests that around 30 per cent of children under 18 have never had an eye test, which means there is likely to be a large number of undiagnosed childhood cases of Myopia in Australia.
