As we approach the 2026 school year, optometrists are encouraging parents to make outdoor play a priority for their children this school year with new data from Bupa Optical revealing that 27 per cent of Australian children who underwent an eye test last year were diagnosed with myopia.
Spending time outdoors has been proven to be beneficial for reducing myopia risk amongst children however outdoor play is on the decline with separate research noting that 50 per cent of kids reported not being allowed to play outside alone or with friends at various times. Additionally, a quarter of Aussie kids say they need improvement in the opportunities to play outside and hang out with friends.
Bupa Optical Optometrist Karen Makin said childhood myopia rates have been on the rise, especially in the years following the COVID pandemic, with fundamental changes to children's lifestyles lingering well beyond lockdowns.
"We continue to see more and more parents coming in to report that their children have been having trouble in the classroom as a result of vision problems.
"While factors such as genetics play a significant role in the development of myopia, the common thread amongst many of these new cases is more time in front of screens and less time spent playing outdoors in natural light, which improves contrast sensitivity, reduces eye fatigue, and stimulates dopamine release in the retina, which helps regulate eye growth," Karen said.
A 2025 study from Macquarie University found secondary school students averaged around 9 hours daily on screens, while primary students spent appriximatly 6 hours. This is despite Government recommendations that for young people aged 5–17 years, it is recommended they have no more than two hours of sedentary recreational screen time per day.
"While there is a growing trend towards more schoolwork being undertaken online or via devices, we are concerned that recreational time has followed suit, with time spent gaming, on social media or watching entertainment on smart devices at the expense of time spent playing outside.
"While physical conditions are often easier for parents to spot, vision problems can be much harder to detect. That's why we recommend yearly eye-tests for children ahead of the school year to ensure any issues are detected and addressed early," Karen said.
Along with special purpose glasses and contact lenses to help control myopia progression, other ways Bupa Optometrists can treat myopia include through Orthokeratology. This is a form of vision correction where hard contact lenses are worn overnight while sleeping and are fitted such that they change the shape of the cornea, resulting in clear vision when the lenses are removed in the morning, as well as keeping the progression of myopia in check.
"But we would much prefer a child didn't get to the stage of needing vision correction and myopia management, so send your children out into the backyard to play," added Karen.
With cost-of-living pressures affecting many families, parents can rest assured that eye tests are bulk-billed for eligible Medicare cardholders at Bupa Optical.
