An Eye Exam isn't on your summer to-do list?!

Is your child is performing poorly at school?

Be sure to have his or her eyes examined this summer by an eye doctor to rule out an underlying visual cause.

Without a comprehensive eye exam, it's hard to know if your child is suffering from any kind of vision impairment. However, if your child is having trouble with his or her eyes, he or she may exhibit specific physical and behavioural signs. Here are some common ones to look out for:

Physical Signs

• One or both eyelids droop
• Iris of one or both eyes appears cloudy
• Excessive tearing in one or both eyes
• Sensitivity to light, excessive blinking in bright light
• Persistent redness in or around the eye(s)
• Swelling or discharge from the eye(s)

 Behavioural Signs

• Rubs eyes frequently
• Consistently sits too close to the TV
• Holds items close to face to read
• Squinting to see things close up or at a distance
• Tilts head to one side to see better
• Closes one eye to read, watch TV, or see better

If your child exhibits any of these physical or behavioural signs, take him or her in for a thorough eye exam.

Metro Eyes 'Back to School' Promo gives Free Comprehensive Eye Exam to Children (0-16 years) this summer.

22, Keffi Street, Off Awolowo Road, S.W. Ikoyi, Lagos | 0704 527 1682

89, Idiroko Road, Joju Roundabout, Sango Ota, Ogun State | 0704 283 4173 

4, Oluyole Way (Favos Road), Bodija, Ibadan | 0704 283 4174

1, Irepodun Close, Ososami Junction, Ring Road, Ibadan | 0704 446 8099

Suite 1, ESMAK Plaza, Opposite General Gas, Akobo, Ibadan | 0704 348 1970

 Suite 17, Uturu Plaza, Plot 653, T.O.S. Benson Crescent, Off Okonjo-Iweala Way, Utako District, Abuja | 0704 318 6929

How do I protect my child’s eyes from harmful effects of computer use?

Here are some steps to visually-friendly computer use

• A comprehensive eye examination for the child:  This will ensure that the child can see clearly and comfortably and detect any hidden conditions that may      contribute to eye strain.  When necessary, glasses, contact lenses or vision therapy can provide clear, comfortable vision for computer use. Some optometrists give free eye examinations to children at certain times of the year, such as in the ‘back to school’ summer period.

• Carefully check the height and position of the computer.  The child's size should determine where the monitor and keyboard are placed.  In many situations, the computer monitor will be too high in the child's field of view.  A good solution to many of these problems is an adjustable chair that can be raised for the child's comfort.  A foot stool may be helpful in supporting the child's feet.

• Carefully check for glare and reflections on the computer screen.  Position the monitor to minimize glare.  Windows or other light sources should not be directly visible when sitting in front of the monitor.  When this occurs, the desk or computer may be turned to prevent glare on the screen.  Sometimes glare is less obvious. 

• Adjust the amount of lighting in the room for sustained comfort.

• Build in break times. A brief break every hour will minimize the development of eye focusing problems and eye irritation.

• Establish time limits for computer use. Setting limits will help your child decide what activities are priorities and how to split time between reading a book, watching      TV, using the PC, and doing some outdoor activity. This can also help children develop good time-management skills.

Always seek to find out the effects on the eyes of activities your children spend time on in order to keep their eyes protected always. Help them continuously see the beauty of life.

Does computer use have any effect on my child’s vision?

Although initially introduced for adult use, computers are now used by a lot of children all over the world, for education as well as recreation.  Millions of children use computers on a daily basis at school and at home.

Just like adults, symptoms related to computer use are experienced by children. Such symptoms as eye discomfort, fatigue, blurred vision and headaches can result from extensive viewing of the computer. Still, some unique aspects of how children use computers may make them more susceptible than adults to the development of these problems.

The potential impact of computer use on children's vision arises because many children keep performing an enjoyable task with great concentration until near exhaustion, e.g. playing video games for hours with little or no breaks.  Prolonged activity without a significant break can cause accommodative (eye focusing) problems and eye irritation.

Accommodative problems may occur as a result of the eyes' focusing system "locking in" to a particular target and viewing distance.  In some cases, this may cause the eyes to be unable to smoothly and easily focus on a particular object, even long after the original work is completed.

Also, because children frequently ignore problems that would be addressed by adults, e.g. a child viewing a computer screen with a large amount of glare often will not think about changing the computer arrangement or the surroundings to achieve more comfortable viewing, children can develop excessive eye strain. 

Discomfort can also result from dryness due to infrequent blinking.

Where computer workstations are set up for adult use, a child using a computer on a typical office desk often must look up higher than an adult.  Since the most efficient viewing angle is slightly downward about 15 degrees, problems using the eyes together can occur.

Eye strain can also occur because children often accept blurred vision thinking that everyone sees the way they do. Blurred vision may arise from uncorrected refractive errors, such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism. 

Interested in protecting your child’s eye health and vision? 

Get your child to benefit from a FREE Comprehensive Eye Examination, as Metro Eyes’ ‘Back to School’ Promo runs from 1st August till 19th October, 2013.

If you have questions about your child’s eye health or vision, send your query to iuwadia@metroeyesng.com

Protect your children’s eyes, and enable them see the beauty of life.

Does Your Child's Back to School List Include An Eye Exam?

Parents often overlook the importance of getting their child in for an eye exam. The emphasis for children's health is typically on making sure they have their shots and are on track physically. 

When a child’s eyes are not seeing things properly it can slow their development in identifying colours, reading and socializing with other kids. It can also affect their self esteem.

Eye exams for children play an important role in ensuring normal vision development and academic achievement of all kids. Vision is closely linked to the learning process. Children with undetected vision problems often will have trouble with their schoolwork. 

Many times, children will not complain of vision problems simply because they don't know what "normal" vision looks like.

Infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at the age of 6 months. The next eye exam should happen around the age of 3 and additional exams at about age 5 or 6 and every two years after that. If your child is in need of eyeglasses or contact lenses, it's vital to have annual exams.

Early eye exams also are important because children need the following abilities related to good eyesight for learning:

• Near vision
• Distance vision
• Binocular (two eyes) coordination
• Eye movement skills
• Focusing skills
• Peripheral awareness
• Hand-eye coordination

If your child is performing poorly at school, be sure to have his or her eyes examined by an eye doctor to rule out an underlying visual cause.

Treatment plans following your eye exam can include a prescription for glasses or contact lenses to correct refractive errors, vision therapy or strabismus surgery for binocular vision problems, medical treatment for eye disease or simply a recommendation that you have your eyes examined again within a specific time frame. 
 
Your eye doctor also may recommend that you take eye vitamins or vision supplements to maintain good eye health or to help alleviate specific problems like dry eyes.
No matter who you are, regular eye exams are important for seeing more clearly, learning more easily and preserving your vision for life.

Take advantage of Metro Eyes’ annual “Back To School” event and allow your children (0-16years) enjoy the ‘Right to Sight, benefiting from our annual free eye examination, as well as:

Buy frame and get free lens  (Special Orders and really High Powers @half price) 

Every child that comes to the clinic for an eye test during the period gets a gift.

This event runs from 1^st August – 19^th October, 2013.

Visit any Metro Eye Clinic Practice Centres today and let your wards benefit from the Back to School Promo (FREE COMPREHENSIVE EYE EXAMINATION for children aged 0 – 16 years)

Lagos Practice Centre pmikoyi@metroeyesng.com:
22, Keffi Street, Off Awolowo Road, S.W. Ikoyi, Lagos | 0704 527 1682

Abuja Practice Centre pmabuja@metroeyesng.com:
Suite 17, Uturu Plaza, Plot 653, T.O.S. Benson Crescent, Off Okonjo-Iweala Way, Utako District, Abuja | 0704 318 6929

Sango Ota Practice Centre pmotta@metroeyesng.com:
89, Idiroko Road, Joju Roundabout, Sango Ota, Ogun State | 0704 283 4173

Ibadan Practice Centres pmibadan@metroeyesng.com:
4, Oluyole Way (Favos Road), Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State | 0704 283 4174
1, Irepodun Close, Ososami Junction, Ring Road, Ibadan, Oyo State | 0704 446 8099

Suite 1, ESMAK Plaza, Opposite General Gas, Akobo, Ibadan, Oyo State | 0704 348 1970