Parents have been urged to pay more attention to the sight of their children by taking them for regular eye checkups and providing them with a balanced diet.

Parents have also been encouraged to limit digital screen time and keep screens that are 18 to 24 inches away from their children.

Statistics show that the number of children who are blind due to eye conditions is decreasing worldwide due to reductions in corneal blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency and measles.

However, this does not include refractive errors.

The prevalence of myopia in children and adolescents is rapidly increasing in many parts of the world due to lifestyle changes.

Refractive errors, particularly myopia, are a leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in children, affecting 448 million children and adolescents worldwide.

Refractive errors – vision problems where the shape of the eye prevents light from focusing correctly on the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eyeball) making it hard to see are very common among children.

Myopia (near-sightedness), the most common type of refractive error in children, causes distant objects to appear blurry. Treatments include corrective glasses, contact lenses, or surgery.

It is interesting to know that squinted eyes (strabismus), a condition in which one eye is turned in a direction that’s different from the other eye, can be treated before age.

Experts have explained that, without treatment, the child with such a condition may develop lazy eyes (amblyopia) and lose vision in the squinted eye.

They have also stressed that no child is too young to wear spectacles; even babies can wear glasses after a thorough examination and prescription.

The Ghana Health Service and Orbis International, as part of the 2024 World Sight Day, have stepped up sensitization to get parents to adhere to basic measures to ensure their children’s Eye health.

Parents have been advised to attend regular eye exams by scheduling a thorough eye examination for their children before pre – and primary school.

They have also been encouraged to boost visual engagement for toddlers and babies using high-contrast colours and play games of catch, 2-4-6-1-1, pat-a-cake, and peekaboo to improve hand-eye coordination.

Orbis International, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), and the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Ashanti Region collaborated and provided screening, education, treatment, and providing glasses to children in schools at no cost.