The Taipei Department of Health said government-funded eye examinations for the city’s elementary-school students have been expanded and parents of first, fourth, fifth and sixth-graders are encouraged to make an appointment.
In effort to reduce the incidence of myopia, the city in 2013 began offering second-graders free eye exams each year. This year, it has expanded the policy to include more other grades.
The free eye exams are conducted at cooperating hospitals or clinics and in two batches — the first of which started on Jan. 1 and is to run until May 31.
Parents of first or fourth-graders should bring along their “eye-protection passport” and those of fifth or sixth-graders should bring their “eye-protection card” to the exam. An appointment must be made in advance with the cooperating hospitals and clinics.
The eye exam includes a visual acuity test before and after pupil dilation, a slit-lamp examination to check the eyes for disease or abnormalities and a best-corrected visual acuity test, Taipei City Hospital Heping Fuyou Branch ophthalmologist Yang Chia-ching (楊佳靜) said.
Visual acuity tests performed without pupil dilation on elementary-school children usually produce inaccurate results, because ciliary muscle contraction in children can falsely increase the degree of myopia, she said, adding that this is known as “false myopia.”
Children who are diagnosed with myopia should wear glasses and follow their doctor’s instructions to correct bad habits and prevent further damage, the department said.
For good eye health, parents should encourage their children to spend at least two hours outdoors every day, allow them to sleep for at least eight hours a day and provide them with nutritious meals.
Children should be taught to sit up straight and keep their eyes at a proper distance (at least 35cm) from reading material, their exposure to display monitors should be limited to no more than one hour a day and they should take a 10-minute break after every 30 minutes of focusing on any one thing, the department said.
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