When your kids are doing homework, reading or playing games on the computer and smart phone, they should take a break every 30 to 40 minutes, or when their eyes are dry or tired, or if they feel a headache coming on. Get them to look out the window or just shut their eyes for five to 10 minutes to relax the muscles.

Install an anti-glare task lamp to provide light directly above whatever your kids are doing so they don’t strain their eyes.

When children are outdoors, they naturally spend less time on near-work activities. They’ll also be looking at things from a distance – 6m and beyond – which helps their eye muscles relax too.

Eye doctors recommends including colourful fruits and vegetables, like broccoli, carrots and tomatoes, into their daily diet. These contains high levels of beta-carotene, which converts into vitamin A and helps maintain general retina health.

Ask your kids to lower the brightness on their handheld devices to as close to the light of the environment as possible, so that it’s not so harsh on their eyes. It also helps to increase the font size of the text they’re reading.

Kids shouldn’t do this. That’s because they may apply too much pressure on their eyes and accidentally injure their corneas.

The constant motion causes the book or tablet to move towards and away from the eyes, which then have to shift focus. This tires and strains the eyes.

Good contact-lens hygiene is essentials for preventing infections or allergies. Wearing contact lens at any age always involves risks, especially oxygen deprivation caused by overnight wear. As young kids are unlikely to be able to care for their lenses properly, it’s not recommended that they use them at all.