PETALING JAYA: An eye screening at school revealed that Abdullah was short-sighted at the grand “old” age of seven.
It was a shock for his parents, Dr Wan Muhammad Fitri Wan Baharuddin, 38, and Nurhaziraaznira Mohd Nasir, 38.
“He came back from school with a letter about his condition.
“So ever since then he has been wearing spectacles, and now he is in Year Four.”
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The early detection helped him read and see better, said the couple from Shah Alam.
“With his condition, we keep his screen time to one hour daily, make sure he’s at a distance watching television, and give him eye support supplements. All of this has helped him,” they said.
They advise parents not to allow children to spend time in front of screens at an early age.
Nowadays, even toddlers can be seen with gadgets, but parents must weigh the pros and cons, and not get pressured into letting their children start using screens too early, they said.
Lecturer Nik Mohd Naqiuddin Nik Ahmad, 38, has two children with myopia, with his son diagnosed at 10 and his youngest daughter at five.
The father of four from the Klang Valley said he and his wife found out about their son’s condition when they noticed he was struggling to read and decided to have his sight tested.
“Perhaps it is genetics that my children have myopia, as my whole family wears spectacles.
“But screen time for the kids is restricted – if you don’t address the issue quickly, it can affect their daily lives, not just with reading and writing but also socially due to their bad vision.
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“So when my kids were struggling, we didn’t hesitate to see the experts and help them get fitted with spectacles.
“You can also detect bad eyesight on your own by asking children to identify letters in charts or on billboards if you suspect they might have an eye condition,” he said.
When homemaker Faridah Abdul’s daughter was diagnosed with myopia in 1997, there wasn’t enough information available.
The 55-year-old from Ampang found out after she noticed her daughter was having difficulty with reading in preschool.
“We took her to a specialist, and she was unable to see the letters on the eye chart.
“The doctor said that her eyeball was not round but more oval in shape, so she had to start wearing spectacles at the age of four.
“My daughter also had a habit of watching television from close up, so her eyes were affected by that too.
“I think nowadays there’s more advancement in this field, with new technologies, so parents can detect it easily.
“But with the use of gadgets, I think it is aggravating the situation among children,” she said.
