French children see less and less well: here is the conclusion of a vast national survey, coordinated by the Krys brand and conducted among 1005 parents of children aged 3 to 10 years.
We first learn that, in children aged 4 to 10, sight problems are on the increase: + 3% in 2017 compared to 2016. And it is especially myopia that is gaining ground since in 2017, 13% of toddlers were concerned against 10% the previous year.
An increase partly linked to new technologies according to Patrice Camacho, Health and Regulatory Director of the Krys group, who mentions “the decrease in time spent outdoors, the overuse of near vision caused by our new ways of consuming screens: tablets, television, smartphones ”.
“Today, children aged 3 to 10 are already multi-screen users and use an average of 2.4 screens (and 2.6 in children with a sight problem). They spend almost 2 hours a day in front of the screens (1h54), ”he continues. For a majority of children, the diagnosis is late: it is indeed necessary to wait 4 years and 5 months on average, that is to say the age of entry to primary school.
138 days on average to get an ophthalmologist appointment
Problem: getting an appointment with an ophthalmologist is often an obstacle course … Thus, the study tells us that the average waiting time for an appointment with an eye specialist is 138 days for one child, more than 4 months! In rural areas, it can be as long as 4.8 months, and in 1 in 5 parents it is even longer than 6 months.
“This observatory highlights the alarming situation in the care of children’s visual health. It is urgent that the public authorities mobilize in consultation with the actors of the visual sector for a general reform of this system, in particular to allow ophthalmologists to free up medical time for better care of children ”concludes Patrice Camacho.
