Children's eyesight is getting worse. This is what parents can do about it

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When I was at school in the 1970s and 80s, it was unusual for children to need glasses – and wearing them gave you the aura of being a swot.

Today, it is more common, and the rise is projected to continue, with about four in ten British children needing glasses for short-sightedness by 2050. In some East Asian countries, rates are astonishingly high – over eight in ten children wear glasses in Singapore, for instance.

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