Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital’s ophthalmologist Dr. Hiranya Gunasekara said that 15 percent of schoolchildren suffer from poor eyesight of distance.
He said that parents, elders and school teachers should be aware of children’s eye diseases and if any child is suffering from any eye disease, they should be referred for treatment immediately.
He said this yesterday (12) while participating in the press conference held at the National Eye Hospital on the occasion of World Sight Day.
He also stated that if children are suffering from symptoms such as watching TV too close, reading books too close to the eyes, headaches, frequent, unusual squinting, they should be referred for treatment.
A weakness caused by diabetes can lead to nearsightedness as a side effect of glaucoma.
Nearsightedness is called myopia and ophthalmologists say that braille should not be introduced to children with the issue. About 128 million people in the world suffer from such low vision.
Some people are born with myopia, often due to exposure to rubella during pregnancy.
In addition, a weakness of the eye nerves, a weakness caused by diabetes, and a side effect caused by the effects of glaucoma can cause myopia.
Sandhya Karunaratne