Q: Please tell me the reason for small children of age 4-5 years being prescribed spectacles. Suggest remedies.

A:There has been a noticeable increase in the number of very young children being advised glasses. Refractive errors have always been quite common and this increase is primarily due to the fact that the parents are becoming more aware of their children"s needs & getting routine eye exams done. School health checks have also become common & so defects are picked up at earlier ages.

Proper use of TV, Computers etc. in moderation, have not been proven to be deleterious towards progression of power. However, excessive near work, especially in poor lighting and in abnormal bodily postures has been linked with advancing power of glasses. The history of myopia in the family members still remains an important cause for progressive myopia.