Read on about Myopia, Dry eyes, Blue light, LED's, Comfort lenses and how schools are currently rolling this out across Australia.
Myopia (short-sightedness) & outdoor time
Outdoors matters: aim for 2 hours outside, most days. Distance viewing and daylight support healthy eye development.
Early checks:
If you notice squinting, moving closer to the board at school, or sitting too close to the TV at home, regular headaches (once or twice a week) or eye strain (complaints of tired eyes after school), book an eye exam with your local Optometrist.
My nephew who was 8 at the time came in for his first eye test after he mentioned to his parents he couldn't see writing on the classroom board, or buildings far away. When I tested him, he could only read the biggest letter on the chart.
He was already at -2.00ds in both eyes - even tree leaves were blurry for him to see.
We changed his habits of reading late at night in dim lighting, encouraged daily outdoor playing time, and we fit him with MiYOSMART spectacle lenses and fortunately his prescription has only shifted by -0.25 in 12 months - which indicates we're doing the right thing. If we were doing the wrong thing, the lens power would have shifted by -1.00ds or more.
The worrying thing is, I've seen this happen to thousands of kids so I can definitively say that young children are not fully aware that their vision is declining. Only when it stops them from functioning, do they voice their concern. For example they're unable to read the classroom board, or they struggle to reading text on the tv, or signs on the road.
To minimise the risk of serious issues as they age, we need to catch it sooner, which is why annual eye tests are important for younger age groups.
Myopia control options include specialised glasses, contact lenses and atropine therapy, your optometrist will guide you. There are resources on this page which will support you in that conversation.
Learn more in our resources below.
Blue-light protection for laptops, tablets & phones
Filter the source: apply a device-specific blue-light screen protector to reduce glare and high-energy visible light peaks from LED screens.
Please note: The 'eye safe mode' on your device is not the same as a blue light screen filter. The eye safe mode still allows all wavelengths of light through, just to a lesser degree. A filter however, blocks out the unwanted wavelength of light, like an air filter not letting through the unwanted particles.
LED's can cause harm:
An ophthalmologist once shared a powerful story of a 30-year-old watch repairman who developed a pterygium, “surfer’s eye”, despite rarely going outside. The cause wasn’t sunlight, but a strong LED lamp shining at the side of his face every day.
LEDs emit high-energy visible light, the closest wavelength to UV, and over time it triggered the same type of tissue damage normally caused by the sun.
The concerning part? Our phones, laptops, tablets and TVs emit the same type of high-energy light, just at lower intensity, but for far longer periods of time. Daily exposure adds up.
At Eyehouse, we tested our blue light filters with hypnotherapists, school staff, principals, athletes and business owners. The results were consistent: less eye strain, better comfort, deeper sleep.
High-energy light doesn’t just irritate the eyes, it impacts long-term eye health. This is why proactive protection matters.
Comfort lenses: for sensitive users, blue-light filtering glasses can improve comfort in evening hours. Good sleep hygiene really matters, so also dim LED lights before bed.
One of our customers measured a 74% increase in restorative sleep – measured by his Whoop band – simply by wearing our glasses in the evenings. Now my wife, kids and their school friends do the same.
