Doctor: Children Not Complaining Does Not Mean They Are Free from Myopia

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Paediatric eye specialist Dr Indah Saraswati, BMEDSC(Hons), Sp.M, has reminded parents not to wait until their children complain of blurry vision before having their eyes examined, as children with myopia, or short-sightedness, are often unaware of the condition.

“Sometimes our children never complain. They never say, ‘Mum, this is blurry’,” said Indah at the Healthy Vision Day event organised by EssilorLuxottica Indonesia in Jakarta on Tuesday.

She said parents need to watch for behavioural changes in children that may be early signs of myopia, such as frequently moving closer when watching television or using gadgets, squinting when looking at distant objects, and difficulty reading writing on the blackboard at school.

According to Indah, parents should also not wait for reports from teachers about their child’s vision problems. This is because not all children are able to express the complaints they experience, and not all teachers notice the problem.

“Don’t wait for the teacher to say something. Sometimes teachers don’t notice, and children don’t speak up either,” said the doctor, who holds a specialist degree in ophthalmology from the University of Indonesia.

She added that delayed detection of vision problems can make treatment less optimal, especially if a child has lazy eye, or amblyopia, that is only discovered after the age of 10.

“Above the age of 10, it is already too late for lazy eye. So the earlier it is detected, the better it is for the child’s future vision,” she said.

Indah advised parents to regularly ask whether their child can read the writing on the blackboard from the back row, and to pay attention to daily habits that point towards vision problems. Early eye examinations are also recommended, particularly if the child has a family history of myopia.