“AFL star Danyle Pearce is a good example,” says Jacqueline. “His poor ball handling skills were holding him back – until a visit to an optometrist uncovered the fact that his vision was to blame for the faults in his gameplay. All it took for this player to reach the top of his game was a good pair of contact lenses.”

Olympic swimmer and gold medallist Mark Horton is yet another short-sighted athlete. In his case, prescription swimming goggles make it possible for him to see clearly in the water. Once out of the pool, he dons his regular glasses again. Cricketer Chris Rodgers is yet another famous sporting myope, as is New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori, and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is also among the world’s most famous contact-lens-wearing athletes.

Glasses and Sports Don’t Always go Well Together

There’s no denying that wearing glasses and playing sports don’t always go well together, and that’s why athletes are rarely seen wearing glasses. “It limits their peripheral vision, and in contact sports, broken glasses could lead to a bad accident,” says Jacqueline. “But just because people don’t see athletes wearing spectacles doesn’t mean that there aren’t short-sighted athletes.”

“Some of them, like the golfer Tiger Woods, opt for surgery to correct myopia, but that’s a big step. Contact lenses are safe for use in most sports, and they aren’t the only non-surgical option. Ortho-K lenses that reshape the cornea while people sleep are suitable for many patients, and if they use them, they don’t need to wear glasses or contact lenses during the day to enjoy perfect vision.”

In some sports, eyewear isn’t particularly limiting. For example, runners and cyclists often choose prescription sports eyewear. There are snugly-fitting frames that don’t easily slip or jostle out of place, and Jaqueline adds that the addition of UV protection will protect their eyes against sun damage.

Sports-Specific Solutions

For those who are short-sighted and eager to participate in sports, there are many options available, and the one that suits them best will depend on the type of sport they want to play. The best place to begin is with a visit to an optometrist with experience in sports vision assessment and training. 

“Training the eyes and improving visual skills can ultimately give people an advantage over athletes with perfect eyesight but less well-developed visual skills,” says Jacqueline. “At the same time, professional and amateur athletes can investigate their eyewear options based on sports-specific recommendations. If there are fewer people with myopia playing sport than are found in the general population, it’s only because many of them still believe that being short-sighted means they can’t play sport. That simply isn’t true.”

HEAR: Ultra106.5FM Interview with Jacqueline Gattegno – Changes in Eyesight Due to a Rise in Stress Levels

For more information on eye health, visual skills and therapy, or to book an appointment, visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

The Debate Goes On

He says there has been a great deal of debate about the effects of screens on children’s eyes, and the Computer Vision Syndrome caused when screens are watched for too long, which is said to cause poor eye-teaming, eye fatigue, blurred vision and dry eyes. 

However, Rodney says other factors are now entering the discussion as eye experts become increasingly aware of the growing impact on vision caused by technology and lifestyle, in some cases as a result of studies-based experience during Covid-19 lockdowns. 

Far Beyond Fatigue

These have led to suggestions that long spells of screen watching at one focal distance could adversely impact on children’s distance and peripheral vision (side vision) as well as their depth and perceptual vision skills, and affect their understanding of what they are seeing; and it might even contribute to the epidemic levels of myopia (shortsightedness) currently affecting one in three people globally.

He says this is supported by researchers studying myopia (nearsightedness), and its growth to epidemic levels along with the speedy growth of technology, close work, and urbanisation, which has resulted in largely indoor and screen-dominated lifestyles. 

“Taking children’s natural tendency to mimic their parents’ habits into consideration, many of these researchers are increasingly focusing on this type of lifestyle when looking for a cause for myopia, instead of focusing entirely on parental genes. And their move in this direction has, in turn, been supported by studies showing a significant growth in myopia during lockdowns, particularly in young children,” Rodney says.

Cutting the Connection with Learning

According to Rodney, while technology, and specially screens, provide quick access to knowledge, and even faster answers, there is no real connection created between the viewer and the information or two-dimensional image on the screen. Nor is there a tangible one with the computer that delivers it. And as quickly as it is delivered, it can be deleted from the screen, and even from the viewer’s memory. 

This lack of connection or engagement can impact considerably on children’s perceptual vision, the skill that enables them to understand what they are seeing on the screen, and its relevance in their lives. It can also lead to a loss of curiosity about knowledge, and shorter attention spans when it comes to learning. 

“Studies have shown that children learn best when engaged on a person- to-person basis, whether that’s with a parent or a teacher. Perhaps it’s a throwback to a time long ago, when most children learned from their parents about how to function, behave, and survive in the real world, and learning was, more often than not, the result of demonstration, participation, observation, and practicality,” Rodney says.

HEAR: Ultra106.5FM Interview with Gary Rodney – Covid and Myopia: What you need to know!

For more information on myopia treatment and management, as well as to learn about vision therapy, or to book an appointment for a visual perception test online, visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.

Rodney, a fellow of the International Academy of Orthokeratology and Myopia Control (FIAOMC), says not enough consideration is being given to those children whose ability to learn is compromised because of refractive, perceptual and vision impairments which prevent them from seeing and processing relevant information. Instead technology is taking over the classroom and, in many cases, the use of screens and computers is increasing the progression of eye impairments like myopia.

Home Screentime Gets the Blame

“While the debate continues as to whether too much screen time at home could be causing or worsening eye problems, the school screen time or computer usage, which also calls for fixed focus and very little blinking over long periods, is seldom addressed.

Instead, it’s often seen as a feather in the cap of educational institutions keen to prove they’re keeping up with the times. And this is despite studies which report big leaps in the percentage of students with vision problems like myopia as their educational paths continue in a world where shortsightedness has reached epidemic proportions,” says Rodney.    

He said one out of four school-goers are myopic (nearsighted) and can see objects clearly only when they are close by. When faced with images or texts some distance away, everything becomes a confusing blur which leaves them understanding very little about the meaning or relevance of what they are seeing.

And they are not alone on this situation. According to Rodney, many children with other eye impairments face similar difficulties. And there’s a flip side to the problem – its not only screens that are further away that lead to difficulty with perceptual vision. A nearby screen like an individual computer on the desk, also holds an assortment of risks like fixed distance focus, the negative effects of the blue light emitted by the screen, and a tendency not to blink, which can lead to dry eye and eye strain in the same way as home computers, mobile phones and tablets.

Rodney said it’s possible that more hours are now spent viewing screens at school than at home, and certainly more time will be spent indoors doing so during class. And these are two of the major concerns with regard to increasing the rate of progression of this epidemic level eye impairment.

Kids Dealing With a Bundle of Confusion

For children with myopia starting school this adds to the normal concerns about whether children will like or shun them, and if their performance will be good enough to elicit praise from their parents and teacher.

When the knowledge they’re supposed to absorb is displayed a full classroom length away, they may well give up completely on concepts like learning, best behaviour, and “doing well at school”, and end up with limited attention spans, poor engagement and performance, affected social development and a low self-image, all of which will feed the vicious cycle they create. And at the same time the core factor of the eye impairment itself could be getting worse.  

“What are they supposed to feel when their teacher asks a question about something on a screen, and they can’t answer it because what they see doesn’t make sense? Or they battle to read out loud words which are a blur to them on a screen or whiteboard, and everyone around them starts laughing?” asks Gattegno.

HEAR: Gary Rodney Interviewed By David Wood Ultra106five.com

The Need for Eye Checks

Rodney and Gattegno urge parents and schools to ensure that children have regular eye checks in a bid to pick up any signs of impairment as soon as possible so those affected can be treated immediately.

For more information visit the Smart Vision website: Optometrists Sydney: Optometry Services For Children and Adults | Smart Vision; for specific information about Myopia treatment and prevention visit Myopia Prevention: Solutions, Control And Treatment In Sydney; and for detailed information about Myopia Treatment visit Orthokeratology In Sydney: The Non Surgical Alternative.

To book an appointment for a thorough eye check-up, click here or Call the Bondi clinic on (02) 9365 5047 or the Mosman clinic on (02) 9969 1600.

Syndicated by Baxton Media, The Market Influencers, Your Digital Marketing Agency.