Summer holidays have peaked at our place and everything is swinging hard toward Back to School … I don’t want to fully surrender to that yet because there is still time for more FUN, but I am ticking off a few things.
One of the more important appointments each January is to get my kid’s eyes checked to make sure they are not going to cause them any problems for the upcoming school year. Obviously, I could do it anytime really but our health fund allowances renew in January and we have some spare time … it just works for us.
Being able to see clearly is something most of us take for granted and we sometimes forget how crucial it is. So much of our school life, kids are expected to watch, see and follow along with things. Countless children have missed out on key learning in class simply because nobody ever realised that they couldn’t see properly.
In this day of constant use of small screens too there is apparently an increasing trend of young children needing to get glasses, so it really is something to be on top of. It is a good idea to train your kids to give their eyes a break from their phones and tablets … we have adopted the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, they should look up and focus on something more than 20 feet away (7 metres) for at least 20 sec. They seem to remember it and it is easy to prompt them.
Sun protection is also an important factor with much of the damage to our eyes occurring in our younger years. Even if your young ones are lucky enough to not need optical glasses, protecting their young eyes from UV rays by getting them good quality sunglasses is definitely something to consider. I actually expect sunglasses could become a school uniform essential in the future along with hats for outside play, but for now it is still just a ‘good idea’.
2 Out of 3 Ain’t Bad
So we trekked off to our local Optometrist and both of my older children needed new glasses this year, but for very different reasons. The eldest needs them for short distance … particularly reading and writing type distance. We were able to get some great glasses that he can use in class and some regular polarised sunglasses for use outside.
The middle one was a little trickier. His prescription is needed for distance … everything from the blackboard and beyond which includes sport and outside activities. I say tricky because then it also becomes a big management issue with 2 pairs of expensive glasses and he already has a lot to remember. He also loses things. Like all the time!
We got him clear glasses for class and prescription sunnies for outside … and now we are just hoping for the best that he can manage carrying two pairs and remembering to swap them at the right time. My expectation is it will be all too hard and he will probably not have the right ones at the right time very often. I wish I knew what I just found out this week!
Great New Solution for Kids!
Soon after we got our brand-new glasses, I heard about this new product for kids. When I say new, it is something I have heard about for years but never for kids.
Essilor’s Transitions® for Kids is a new range of lenses that aim to protect a child’s eyes all the time. These lenses would mean that you don’t need a separate pair of sunglasses and we protect our children’s eyes without them having to remember to swap their glasses throughout the day.
You probably know the concept but the lenses change from clear to dark reacting to the amount of light in the environment. For my son, this would mean that he wouldn’t need to swap between clear glasses and sunglasses 10 times a day – they are all-in-one!
The material used is also kid friendly in other ways. They are super tough and light, and they filter out blue-violet light. Children’s eyes absorb more blue-violet light than an adult! Blue-violet light is at its peak outdoors, so when activated, the Transitions lenses cut at least 85% of blue–violet, which means that those at-risk kids are covered. The protection that Transitions® for Kids gives against the light from phones and tablets, which we don’t get with clear lenses, would also be a great addition to our 20-20-20 rule.
I can’t claim to have actually had a chance to use these yet but I just knew the concept would resonate with so many of you mums (and dads) who are trying to help your little ones and so I knew it was one I wanted to share. I fully expect to try these out as soon as I can and I will give you another report back … I wish I had a time machine about now!
If you would like to find out more about Transitions® for Kids just visit this website.
