A study by the University of Waterloo is suggesting that nearsightedness begins at an earlier age than previously thought.

Nearsightedness, also known as myopia, affects about one in three Canadians.

In the past, children started to show signs of being myopic near the age of 12. The new study suggests that myopia might occur much earlier than previously thought, now showing signs in children as young as six years old.

In some cases the children didn’t know that they were myopic. According to the study about 30 per cent didn’t know they were myopic until they were diagnosed.

“They have nothing to base it on. They’re not able to say mom that’s blurry because to them, that’s normal,” says Melanie Rush, an optometric assistant at Optical House

There is no definitive data that shows why more young people have myopia – only that it is on the rise.

“This has been a bit of a trend throughout the world but it’s the first Canadian data that we have,” says Debbie Jones, a clinical professor at Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science.

Dr. Mike Yang has some theories as to why more children are becoming myopic.

“Obviously kids these days are very different from 10 years ago,” he says. “They spend more time on the computer more time up close and the entire lifestyle is different.”

Yang also says that by spending just one extra hour outside each week, the risk of myopia in a child can reduce by 14 per cent. He says that scheduling yearly eye exams is the best way to see if your child is myopic and needs glasses.

Rush says that a good way to get your child to always wear their glasses is to let them pick them out.

“What ends up happening is they’re the ones that are wearing them and if they hate them, they will end up not wearing them,” she says.

With reporting by Marc Venema