Eye doctors expressed their support for the implementation of face-to-face classes as this can have a positive effect on children's eye health.
The implementation of in-person classes is vital for a child’s overall development, said Philippine Eye Research Institute Director Dr. Leo Cubillan.
“The return to face-to-face classes is really very important. Kasi hindi lang sa paningin iyon kung hindi sa overall development ng bata—yung physical activity, yung learning in a direct instruction, and mental health din ng mga bata (Because it's not just about the eyes, it's about the overall development of the child—the physical activity, the learning in a direct instruction, and also the mental health of the children),” said Cubillan during a media forum hosted by the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, Aug. 25.
Based on their recent study, Cubillan noted that four Filipino kindergarten pupils in a class of 40 need to wear eyeglasses. Most of these children are suffering from myopia or nearsightedness. Myopia is a vision problem that makes it difficult for a person to see distant objects.
Cubillan said that outdoor activities can help reduce the advancement of myopia in children.
It is recommended that children aged two to five only have 60 minutes of screen time daily. Those under two years old "should not spend time with screens at all," said Cubillan, as he cited the recommendations from the World Health Organization.
“Then yung mga older age group, yung elementary and high school---iyan ang sinasabi natin na talagang maximum two hours in addition to the school (the older age groups, the elementary and high school --- the recommendation is to really have a maximum of two hours in addition to the school ),” he said.
Currently, the Department of Education (DepEd) is implementing one hour outdoor activities daily for kindergarten pupils and primary school students, said Cubillan.
Cubillan is hoping that the DepEd will allot another one hour for the outdoor activities of the students.
"Sana madagdagan pa nila ng one more hour para at least naka two hours tayo because ang recommended ng mga eksperto na nag-aaral sa myopia progression, karamihan nito sa Singapore ang studies, ay (I hope they add one more hour so that at least we have two hours because the recommendation of experts who study myopia progression, most of these studies are in Singapore, is) three hours daily or 15 hours per week," he said.
“It's just that yung ilaw sa loob ng classroom or sa bahay hindi enough para sa proper growth of our eyesight ng mga bata (It's just that the light inside the classroom or at home is not enough for the proper growth of our children's eyesight),” he added.
Face to face classes “will solve many problems with health, not just with the eyes but also psychological,” said Dr. Minguita Padilla, founder and president of Eye Bank Foundation of the Philippines.
“Aside from it being better for their eyes when they go outdoors... even physical movement will be much better to them,” she said.
“Don't just sit down and do virtual because it is very bad for our health. Not just for eye health, but in general health. We have to encourage our children to go out, go into the sun, play,” she added.