Children’s Vision

Here at Canon Street Optometrists, we’re making it easy to take care of young eyes.

Because 80% of children’s learning is visual, it makes sense to look after their eyes from an early age. That’s why it’s important for children to wear sunglasses to help protect their eyes from New Zealand’s powerful UV rays.

The dangers of UV rays

Young eyes have larger pupils, which let more light into the inner parts of the eye, including harmful UV rays. This can lead to long-term eye damage. That is why we recommend children be fitted for sunglasses from their first day of school.

As well as keeping young eyes safe in the sun, be sure to talk to your Canon Street optometrist if you notice your child displaying the following symptoms:

• lose their place while reading or use fingers to maintain their place
• avoid close work, particularly reading
• holding reading materials closer than normal
• tend to rub their eyes or have headaches
• one eye drifts or aims in a different direction than the other
• close or cover one eye or squint
• omit or confuse small words when reading
• seem to have a short attention span for their age
• have poor hand-eye coordination for activities like playing with a ball
• consistently perform below potential

With a wide range of colourful frames to choose from, now’s a great time to bring your children in to choose some sunglasses.