25% of children in our country have vision problems, one of the main reasons being the increasing use of digital devices. Often, problems are not detected in time, which hinders treatment. That is why the Ruse municipality is organizing free eye examinations for preschool children for another year, BNT reported.
The first eye examination should be done between the ages of 6 months and one year. However, most parents only seek help when they detect a problem. That is why free eye examinations in kindergartens are very useful, and are well received by children.
Ivelina - 6 years old: "He made us look at some pictures… I was calm the whole time".
Nearly 800 children from all kindergartens who will be in first grade in the fall were examined in Ruse. It was found that 10% of them need to wear glasses.
"If there is any undetected problem so far, it should be caught in time so that we can treat lazy eye, which is one of the problems we aim to deal with in early childhood, before the development of the visual system is complete", said Dr. Natalia Glavanova – pediatric ophthalmologist.
During the examinations, problems are identified that parents did not suspect, share from the Ruse municipality, which is the organizer of the campaign.
Natalia Vangelova – Ch. expert in the "Health Activities" department: "I suppose they were initially surprised, since there is not always an indication that young children have a vision problem".
Compared to last year, the data shows a decrease in children with farsightedness, which is typical for this age, and an increase in those with nearsightedness.
"This is a problem that all colleagues are alarming about, that it should be limited to a minimum, to spend more time outside, in the open air and for the eye to rest, looking into the distance, for children to engage in other types of activity and sports", said Dr. Natalia Glavanova – pediatric ophthalmologist.
"We limit it, but it cannot be done without it, because every child does what he sees. When he comes home from kindergarten, I allow him to watch for an hour", revealed Yordanka Yordanova – Ivelina's mother.
The campaign of the Ruse Municipality in kindergartens is being held for the second consecutive year and will continue.