An article published in the Australian Optometry Association March Newsletter has claimed that researchers have found that Australian children are four times more likely to wear sunglasses for UV protection if their parent’s do.

Dr Suzanne Dobbinson, lead author of the study conducted by the Australian Cancer Council and published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, has said ‘there is a very strong relationship between parents and children when it comes to specific sun protection behaviour'. 1140 parents of children aged up to 11 years were surveyed and it was found that generally, 64% of children wore hats for sun protection, 5j8% used SPF 15+ sunscreen, and only 11% used sunglasses. 

Australia is considered to have one of the most sophisticated UV protection policies in the world. Our ‘Sunsmart’ program is recognised as the gold standard by the World Health Organisation’s Collaborative Centre for UV Protection.  As such we should take note that sun damage to young children, particularly when encountered in the UV danger period of 11am to 3pm, can be hazardous to their health later in life. The effects of sun damage to the eye include: pterygia (yellowish tissue growth on the whites of the eyes), early cataract, sun cancers, early macular degeneration and photokeratitis.

Please give us a call if you have any concerns about your childs vision and would like some more information on types, styles and brands of sunglasses. 

Pop into Gerry and Johnson Optometrists for your kid’s sunnies today!

Video Games: Are they damaging your vision?

Video games are rapidly improving and in 30 years we have gone from vector (shapes and lines) to sprite (2D pixelated images) to polygon (3D graphics). Video games are also one of the most popular forms of media with the Call of Duty Franchise selling over 100 million copies. That's at least 200 million eyes looking at a TV for on average 9 hours a week or 19 days a year.

Video games are like cartoons; remember the original Mario? Nintendo would place many still images of Mario together so whenever he moved he looked like he was actually walking like any normal man (if we were all pixelated of course!). Game developers program the sprites to flick quickly between each other which gives the impression that Mario is actually walking! This action requires both your brain and eyes to work together - sprites are very simple whereas polygons require your brain to work even harder as your brain has to process a 3D image doing the same thing. This tires your brain out fairly quickly and this fatigue is what some researchers are worried about. 

The theory is that video games in large doses can cause strain on the eyes. This is called computer vision syndrome - some of the symptoms include blurry vision, headaches, eye irritation and double vision. Up until recently computer vision syndrome's symptoms was only a worry for adults, but now that we all have easier access to screens with tablets, phones, computers, TV and consoles even children are displaying the symptoms too! Eye health professionals have recommended limiting use time of electronics, and whenever playing video games make sure to look at an object approximately 6 meters away from you every 15 minutes. Also, make sure to take short breaks every hour and don't forget to see your Optometrist regularly. I hope you've learnt something interesting!

FREE FRAMES!

It is extremely beneficial to have a 2nd pair of glasses for your young ones. Whether they will be 'stay at home glasses' or a 2nd pair just incase their first pair gets trampled on having a pair nearby is handy and useful. We have put in place this amazing promotion to make it more affordable for parents to provide their kids with the oppertunity to own two pairs of glasses. Purchase a set of frames and lenses from us, and we will show you a selection of frames that you receive absolutely free! This will dramatically cut down the cost of a second pair.

Please feel free to call 07 3210 1822 and talk to Leah, Anna, Katie or Elle about what we can offer :)

Animals’ eyes are so different to ours, some animals can look behind their heads and others are colour blind; but we all have something in common…. We all need good vision!

Did you Know?

• The largest eyeball on the planet is 18 inches wide, about the size of a large watermelon and it belongs to The Giant Squid.
• An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
• A chameleon's eyes can look in different directions - at the same time.
• Dogs can’t tell the difference between the colours red and green.
• Dolphins sleep with one eye open.
• Many hamsters blink only one eye at a time.
• An ant has only two eyes. But each eye contains lots of smaller eyes. This is called a ‘compound eye’.
• The shark cornea has been used in eye surgery, since its cornea is similar to a human cornea.
• The night vision of a cat is amazing! In order to see they require only one-sixth as much light as a human. They cannot, however, see in total darkness. When enough light is not available, they use their whiskers to feel their way around.
• Cats’ eyes offer them almost 285 degrees of sight in three dimensions. This is ideal vision for hunting.
• Cats do see in color, and can distinguish yellow, blue, and green hues. Their eyes are best, however, at detecting movement, and shades of gray.
• Crocodiles are color-blind.
• Crocodiles are blind in the water but have very keen sight in the air.
• Owls are the only bird that can see the colour blue!