My Approach to Children's Myopia
I am an eye doctor — but I am also a mother.
I have a 12-year-old son, and like every parent, I have had to navigate the reality of children growing up surrounded by phones, tablets, computers and homework.
My son still has perfect eyesight at 12, but I don't believe this is simply luck.
Over the years, I have learned that looking after a child's eyes is not just about telling them:
“Put the phone down.”
That rarely works.
It is about understanding children, creating habits they can actually follow, and making healthy choices part of everyday family life.
I have spent many years caring for children's eyes and studying myopia control. But being a mother has taught me something equally important:
You need to know how to persuade a child.
Healthy Eyes in the Real World
I think about the practical things that parents struggle with every day:
How close is too close?
How much near work is too much?
How do you get a child to take a break without starting an argument?
How do you encourage outdoor time when homework, school and screens are competing for their attention?
And how do you make these habits sustainable rather than something a child follows for two days and forgets?
These are the conversations I have with parents in my clinic.
My approach is to combine good science with practical parenting strategies.
Making Healthy Eye Habits Easier
I have created a collection of practical resources for parents, including simple ideas for managing screen habits, near work and outdoor time.
I have also curated free audiobooks through Libby because I wanted to give parents another option for entertaining children without everything having to involve a screen.
Sometimes the simplest solution is to change the activity rather than simply telling a child to stop.
One of my favourite examples is my own son listening to an audiobook while sitting outside on the sofa.
He is still enjoying a story.
He is still completely engaged.
But he is looking into the distance rather than spending another hour looking at something close.
That is the kind of practical balance I want to help families achieve.
Explore My Free Audiobook Collection →
Myopia Control Tips for Parents →
Healthy Screen Habits →
Beyond the Clinic
I have also had the privilege of speaking about children's vision and myopia in the media, and I regularly follow the latest research because myopia management is a rapidly changing field.
You will find some of my newspaper and media articles about children's eye health and myopia here.
I believe parents deserve information that is both scientifically sound and practical enough to use.
Better Eyes Club is a Club I have started to offer Practical Help between us parents.
I only get to see you once every 3 months on your myopia control program and I can’t afford you to slip. I have started the Better Eyes Club to encourage myopia fighting eye habits. I promise to work hard to update and offer audiobooks, podcasts and outdoor activity ideas through The Eyeclinic by Dr Cheryl Lee Facebook and IG as part of the BetterEyesClub. I hope many of you will help your fellow myopia fighting friends and contribute to the Better Eyes Club.
Dr Lee's Perspective
I don't want parents to feel guilty about screens.
Screens are simply part of modern childhood.
What I want is for parents to understand what really matters, recognise when myopia is developing, and know when it is time to seek professional advice.
My aim is not to create a child who never uses a screen.
It is to help create a child who learns to look after their eyes for life.
Healthy eyes aren't about perfect habits. They're about creating better habits, consistently.
Myopia control at The Eyeclinic by Dr Cheryl Lee
I download the audiobooks with Mark onto a device. He can only tap on the book he wants to listen to and not play on the ipad. He listens to it through a bluetooth speaker and gazes into the distance. No books or pokemon cards that he can touch around him.
Take a few minutes to learn what are
good eye activities
