Episode 1: Addressing the myopia epidemic in kids
Dr Joe Paul, head of professional services, Specsavers.
Gabrielle Grant-Nilon, optometrist, Specsavers.
Tallis family: Jules, Iain, Charlie (6) and McCartney (8).
There's no doubt that screens are here to stay. They're an inherent part of our daily lives at home, school and work. And if there are children in your care, you've probably resorted to a screen at some stage to keep the calm in the back seat on a long car trip or allowed a Bluey binge so you can prepare dinner in peace.
But with each new generation of digital natives comes the spectre of myopia, otherwise known as short-sightedness.
The link between the risk of myopia and hours spent doing near tasks, such as looking at a screen, is well established yet research conducted by YouGov for Specsavers in 2023 shows kids aged 5-12 spend an average of three and a half hours a day on screen devices: 1.1 hours at school and 2.4 hours at home, well overshooting Australian Department of Health guidelines.
Dr Joe Paul, the head of professional services at Specsavers, says these days there are 'treatments to stop it from progressing, to stop it from getting worse, but we can't reverse it'.
This is important, because with the sharp increase in childhood myopia, what optometrists such as Gabrielle Grant-Nilon, from Specsavers, have noticed is that kids are becoming short-sighted earlier and ending up more short-sighted than before.
'If myopia becomes pathological it can lead to more serious eye issues down the track,' she says. This is why it's so important to detect it early.
In Sydney, Jules and Iain have two young boys and have made the decision not to allow screens during the week. Iain says: 'If we had to deal with getting them off a screen, that would just be an added challenge that we just don't have time for during the week with everything, all the activities that they do in the afternoons.'
In this episode, we learn what less screen time looks like at the family level and explore some innovative tech and simple strategies that can lead us to a clearer future. The result is an inspiring vision of childhood in which new habits minimise screen time, and myopia is no longer on the rise.
The Future Looks Bright is produced by Guardian Labs Australia.
Narrator: Fenella Kernebone.
Series producer and editor: Cinnamon Nippard.
Guardian Labs producer: Ciara Bowe.
Lead commercial editor: Nicola Harvey.
The Future Looks Bright is paid for by Specsavers.
Find your local Specsavers store for optometry & audiology services. https://www.specsavers.com.au/
Australian government guidelines for screen time for kids and young people are included in the Physical activity and exercise guidelines for all Australians. https://www.health.gov.au/topics/physical-activity-and-exercise/physical-activity-and-exercise-guidelines-for-all-australians
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