EyeMark Newsletters

How much time did your child spend looking at a screen today? The answer probably depends on how old they are, what grade they are in at school, even if they are at school, and what rules you have in your home regarding screen time. For children growing up in the digital age it is impossible to imagine life without screens. Devices like cell phones, laptops and tablets have become essential tools in most parts of the world, which has led parents, guardians, teachers and researchers to wonder whether screens are good or bad for children. While there are many benefits of digital technology, such as education, entertainment and communication, and it was invaluable during the difficult time of the Covid pandemic, overexposure and prolonged use of digital devices can have detrimental effects on children. The recent surge in the amount of time children spend in front of screens has been associated with health concerns, developmental issues, obesity, poor sleep quality and visual problems. What are the signs of digital eye strain from screen use?       Digital eye strain is not a single eye condition, but a number of symptoms that occur as a result of extended time staring at screens. Symptoms may include headaches, eye fatigue, blurred vision, dry eyes, burning and itchiness. Children with eye fatigue may complain of eye pain and tiredness and often lose interest in reading and close tasks. Children tend to become intensely absorbed in activities, and without breaks from intense focus on...

With rapid changes occurring in the body during the teenage years, this is often when vision problems first arise. The common vision problems for this age group are refractive problems, which include myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. Myopia, shortsightedness, is the difficulty with distance vision, while hyperopia, farsightedness, is a problem with focusing close up. Astigmatism occurs as a result of an abnormally shaped cornea, leading to the inability to see clearly at long and short distances.       Other eye conditions found in teenagers are often associated with their lifestyle. Symptoms of digital eye strain, such as eye fatigue or dry eyes, may occur due to extended time spent on computers or handheld devices. Involvement in outdoor sport activities without protective eyewear can cause sports-related eye injuries or long -term damage from the UV rays of the sun. Teenagers are sometimes susceptible to eye infections, which may be the result of poor contact lens care or sharing of makeup. Adolescence is a time when many different factors play a role in creating a busy lifestyle, with academic, social and sporting activities. Their activities will dictate the management of the eye condition as well as the suitable choice of eyewear which needs to be both functional and fashionable. Refractive conditions can be successfully managed with glasses or contact lenses. Once vision has stabilised and the eyes are less likely to change, at about 18 years of age, refractive surgery is a further option to correct vision. Conditions such as dry eyes,...

With it being estimated that about 80% of what we learn is through our vision, it is understandable that a child’s eyes are constantly active. Without an effectively functioning visual system, learning in the classroom as well as on the sports field is compromised and the child cannot perform at his or her potential. As children progress through the educational system increasing demands are placed on their visual skills. The size of print in textbooks becomes smaller and the amount of time spent reading and studying increases significantly. Increased workload and homework place more demands on the child's eyes. VISUAL SKILLS FOR SCHOOL While 20/20 vision, the ability to see clearly, is essential, a child needs a number of abilities in order to understand, process and respond successfully to specific learning material and the school environment.       Visual Acuity “After studying hard, Peter was upset to find that he had failed his test. On closer inspection, his teacher discovered that he had copied the questions incorrectly from the board because he was unable to read them clearly.” Children need to be able to see clearly and comfortably in the distance for viewing the board, at an intermediate distance for the computer and up close for reading a book. Peripheral Vision Peripheral or indirect vision is the awareness of things outside the centre of the gaze while looking straight ahead, awareness of things “in the corner of one’s eye”. Eye Focusing This is the ability to keep both eyes accurately...

Young children have a natural tendency to be curious and learn about the world around them by exploring. As they play, they are not simply entertaining themselves, but are developing critical skills which help them to navigate their world. The careful choice of toys and activities facilitates all areas of their development, including motor skills, language, social skills, critical thinking, problem-solving and visual skills. These are essential for successful performance both inside and outside the classroom and have a ripple effect on the child’s confidence. BUILDING TOYS       From simple brightly coloured stacking cups for infants, shape sorting toys for toddlers, puzzles for preschoolers, and complex construction activities for older children, building toys develop important visual skills. When children engage in building activities, they explore shapes, sizes and colours, analysing and comparing them, recognising their similarities and differences and stimulating visualisation as they plan and organise their construction. Creativity, problem-solving skills, spatial awareness and hand-eye coordination are enhanced. Hand-eye coordination is the ability to use the visual information from the eyes to guide the hands to carry out an activity. Good hand-eye coordination is essential for reading, writing, using scissors, colouring inside the lines, and playing sports. VISUAL THINKING GAMES       Activities such as puzzles challenge children’s visual discrimination, pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, depth perception and sequencing, developing their ability to develop and strengthen their ability to understand and process visual information. They learn to categorise, sort and match the puzzle pieces according to visual clues, and...

If you’re anything like me, you spend all year complaining that the Oscars are a politics-driven popularity contest that doesn’t mean anything in relation to talent or creativity. And then, when March comes around, you watch every second of the very lengthy ceremony - and discuss it for weeks afterwards. Just in case (like me) you have FOMO because the Oscars happen far away in Los Angeles, let’s hand out some local awards in honour of the recent ceremony. Presenting... the South African Oscars. Or SOscars. BEST PICTURE We’ve watched some amazing things over the past year. But this Oscar often goes to the popular choice, and the SOscars should be no different. So let’s give this one to our live, televised World Cup victory - because why not celebrate it one more time? BEST DIRECTOR If a director has something of a superiority complex, then this award goes to our very own Elon Musk. Launching things into space because he can. Buying a huge social media platform because he can. Changing its name to a single letter because he can. Firing a whole bunch of staff because he can... In fact, this candidate has inspired me to petition Hollywood to change the name of this particular accolade to the Because I Can award. BEST ACTOR Our nominees are various men in local positions of power. The award for the biggest performer of the year goes to... hmm, too close to call. BEST ACTRESS Meryl Streep. Because always. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR...

Cigarette smoking and vaping are both potentially damaging to the eyes. While tobacco smoke is a hazardous mixture of over 5,000 chemicals, vaping solutions do not produce tar or carbon monoxide but often have much higher nicotine levels than cigarettes as well as other chemicals with known and unknown negative effects. Toxins enter the blood stream and are carried throughout the body damaging both blood vessels and various parts of the body, including the delicate light-sensitive tissue of the eyes. Smoking reduces the body’s absorption of nutrients essential for eye health. DRY EYE A short-term effect of smoking is the development or worsening of dry eye syndrome, a common eye condition caused by insufficient lubrication of the surface of the eyes. Exposure to smoke irritates the eyes, leading to dryness, scratchiness, redness, blurred vision, light sensitivity and excessive watering, all of which cause particular discomfort in contact lens wearers. CATARACTS     A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s naturally clear transparent lens, gradually leading to cloudy or blurred vision, sensitivity to light, difficulty seeing at night or in low light conditions, and perceiving colours as faded. Most people develop cataracts as part of the normal aging process, but people who smoke have an increased risk of cataract development and are more likely to develop them earlier than non-smokers. As well as increasing the number of damaging free radicals in the eyes, smoking can destroy the antioxidants which fight these free radicals. MACULAR DEGENERATION     Smoking is the major...

Dry eye is a common condition, and yet it is often overlooked as a problem that can affect quality of life. “When my symptoms were at their worst, my productivity at work decreased significantly because I couldn’t stare at computer screens for too long before I had to stop because my eyes felt exhausted, and I got blurry vision and excessive tearing. I love reading but doing it for too long would cause a burning sensation in my eyes. When I travelled to cities where humidity levels were low, my symptoms worsened tremendously, so I was never able to fully enjoy my trips.” This description of symptoms by a woman who suffers from dry eye syndrome led her optometrist to comment that “dry eyes can be debilitating”. FUNCTION OF TEARS     Our eyes need tears to stay healthy and feel comfortable. The tear glands located above each eyeball continuously supply tear fluid that is spread across the surface of the eye each time we blink. Excess fluid drains through the tear ducts into the nose. Tears are made up of three layers, each of which serves a specific purpose. The oily layer keeps the surface of the eyes smooth and clear and prevents the tears from drying up too quickly. The aqueous or watery layer makes up what we see as tears. Its role is to provide moisture to the eyes and wash away particles. The mucus layer helps spread the watery layer over the surface of the eyes, keeping...

Simply a multicoloured arc made by light striking water droplets, the rainbow is an element of myths and superstitions in many different cultures. Rainbows have been portrayed as bridges between people and supernatural beings or as the bridges human ancestors used to descend to Earth. Because the shape of a rainbow resembles the bow of an archer, it is believed that it is used to shoot arrows of lightning. Generally seen as positive symbols of hope, in some cultures rainbows are viewed as negative omens. The most famous legend of the rainbow is the pot of gold at its end which is guarded by an elusive leprachaun.     A rainbow is an optical phenomenon (some have called it an optical illusion) that does not exist in a specific spot in the sky. It appears when sunlight and atmospheric conditions are just right, and the viewer is in just the right position to see it. It is the result of the refraction and reflection of light. Light entering a water droplet is refracted or bent and is then reflected or bounced back by the inside of the water droplet. As this reflected light leaves the droplet, it is refracted again at multiple angles and separates into its component wavelengths or colours, creating a rainbow. In order for a rainbow to be seen, the sun or other source of light must be behind the viewer and the water droplets in front. The water droplets are usually raindrops, but could also be spray...

The health of the eyes and vision goes hand in hand with general good health, and many chronic health conditions can impact the eyes. Autoimmune conditions, neurological disorders and even certain common illnesses can cause visual problems. Because they are made up of various types of tissue, the eyes are vulnerable to a variety of diseases while also providing insight into many systems of the body. Almost any part of the eye can give important clues to the health of other organs in the body. The eyes are the windows to the blood vessels, nerves and connective tissue in the body. An eye examination is sometimes the first sign of systemic disease. DIABETES Diabetes sufferers have a higher risk of developing cataracts and glaucoma. Chronic diabetes causes fluctuating blood sugar levels, which can damage the blood vessels in the eyes. Long-term uncontrolled diabetes can result in diabetic retinopathy, a condition in which the tiny blood vessels in the retina leak fluid and blood onto the retina, leading to vision loss and even blindness. Sometimes, diabetes appears in eye tissue even before a person has been diagnosed with the condition. Early detection can help people avoid vision loss and other serious complications. HYPERTENSION     Unusual bends, kinks or bleeding from blood vessels in the back of the eye can signal high blood pressure which can cause retinal damage and damage to the blood vessels in and around the eyes. Hypertension has been linked to a number of health issues, including eye...

Over the past years, the devastating impact of climate change on the world around us has become increasingly evident with the increase in violent storms, wildfires, rising temperatures, droughts and floods. It is well known that environmental factors play a role in eye health, but do changes in the environment pose a risk to eye health? Do the specific effects of climate change compound issues of eye health related to the environment? The connection between climate change and eye health is complex and multifaceted, covering a variety of interrelated direct and indirect factors. WHY ARE THE EYES SPECIALLY AT RISK? The eye is one of the most unique organs of the body. Because the surface of the eye is directly exposed to the elements every waking hour Even minor changes in weather, climate, UV radiation and air quality have an impact on eye health, making it susceptible to developing diseases or worsening eye conditions that already exist. WHICH ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS POSE A RISK TO THE EYES?     Climate change has been linked to air pollution, ozone depletion with its increase in UV exposure, higher temperatures causing the air to become drier, and changes in rainfall patterns affecting water quality, crops and food security. Added to its impact on health, it places a burden on health care systems affecting their stability and availability as extreme weather conditions make it more difficult for people to access health care. WHICH EYE CONDITIONS ARE OF PARTICULAR CONCERN? The World Health Organization has found a...