Welcome and thank you for your interest in the Origins Eye Health Study, a collaboration with Lions Eye Institute and ORIGINS. Here, you will find information about all the tests we will conduct, some frequently asked questions (FAQs) and contact details for our research team. You have been directed to this page to help you become familiar with the tests that you and your child will be doing. If you have any questions about our study and the tests, feel free to send us an email at myopia@lei.org.au .
We’ve created a special video for you and your child to watch together before your visit with us. This will give you a preview of the tests and help easy any anxiety or uncertainty, making your experience with us more familiar, comfortable and reassuring.
The tests will take place at Lions Eye Institute, 2 Verdun Street, Nedlands, 6009.
If you would like to fill out our expression of interest form for your child to participate in our Origins study, you can find the form here.
Aims of our research
We are aiming to investigate how sun exposure and time outside impacts the health of your child’s eye and eye growth, over a period of rapid growth in their lives.
Tests we will perform on your child:
Visual acuity
This test is the textbook eye test! Your child will have one eye covered by an instrument we call an ‘occluder’ and they will read letters off a chart. We also have a chart with pictures for them to read off if they are more comfortable with that. This test tells us the clarity of your eye, you may be familiar with the term 20/20 vision, which is determined by this test.
This is also a test offered to parents.
Auto Refraction
This test involves your child looking into a machine, while we measure the prescription of their eye. While looking into the machine, your child will see a red and yellow hot air balloon in the distance, with a blue sky and a road, leading to the balloon. During the test, the hot air balloon will go in and out of focus, this is how we test for their prescription! This is a non-invasive test and only requires your child looking at the hot air balloon.
This test is conducted twice, both before and after dilation.
This is also a test offered to parents.
Pupillometry
This test uses a quick flash of light to measure your child’s pupil and how it reacts to light. This test lasts about 8 seconds for each eye.
OCT, OPTOS, IOL Master and Pentacam
We offer four different scans that provide us different images of the front and back of your child’s eye. Pentacam is a test that requires lots of light to enter your child’s eye, which means it will be performed after the dilating drops are administered. OCT, OPTOS and IOL Master will be performed before. We like to call these tests ‘staring competitions’!
The IOL Master test is also offered to parents.
Eye Pressure
This test looks a little bit funny! It looks like an electric bubble blower that rests on a child’s forehead. Connected to the machine is a tiny Q-Tip that lightly brushes your child’s eye. However, you cannot feel this, if anything, it feels like your eyelashes have been tickled. This takes 10 seconds maximum for each eye. This test measures the pressure of your child’s eye, which helps in diagnosing eye diseases such as glaucoma.
This is also a test offered to parents.
Dilation Drops
If your child is comfortable, we would like to use eyedrops to dilate their pupils. This is very quick, minimally invasive and results in some cool looking photos afterwards. By dilating their pupils, they let more light into the back of their eyes, allowing us to take more accurate images and measurements. When we dilate their eyes, it will allow us to perform the pentacam test and the second round of autorefraction. It takes about 20 minutes for your child’s pupils to dilate. In that time, we will check your child’s height, weight and count the freckles on their arm. This test will be conducted after checking your child’s eye pressure.
The dilating eye drops feel like a small amount of salt water or pool water has entered the eye. It might feel uncomfortable, but this only lasts for a few seconds and goes away very quickly with lots of blinking.
When you leave after your visit with us, we do recommend your child wearing sunglasses and a hat for the rest of the day as they may be sensitive to light.
Mole count, skin impression and sun exposure questionnaire
Just as simple as it sounds, we count the freckles and moles on your child’s right arm. We will then use a special slime like glue to create a small, 50 cent piece sized impression of the skin on the top of their hand. We will also ask you a short questionnaire about your child’s habits when playing outside and other questions about their exposure to the sun. In doing these 3 tests, we are given a good picture of what their sun exposure and time outdoors looks like, in relation to their eye growth.
Height and Weight
We like to check your child’s height and weight at each visit to see how well they are growing! Certain eye measurements (such as the length of your child’s eye) can be correlated with your child’s height.
FAQs
How long does this take?
It takes between 60-90 minutes. Your child will see us two times a year, in Autumn and Spring over the next three years.
Why are the tests conducted during Autumn and Spring?
The eyeball tends to grow fastest during winter and slowest during summer. In measuring in Autumn and Spring, we will look at the impact of the summer and winter seasons on the eyes.
If this is an eye test, why are you looking at sun exposure and things to do with my child’s skin?
Sun exposure and time outdoors impact eye health and eye growth.
Why do we take multiple measurements of the same thing?
Each machine takes specific measurements, but may also take the measurement multiple times, to ensure an accurate result.
Is my child allowed to refuse certain tests?
Of course. If at any time you or your child are uncomfortable with a test, we will stop immediately. You may also withdraw from the study at any time, you are not obliged to participate.
What can I learn about my child’s eye health after the tests?
Our eye specialists will debrief you and your child of their test results at the end of their visit. If there is anything concerning, the specialist will refer you for treatment and advise you on the next steps.
Will I be able to take this to an eye care specialist?
Yes. You can also contact us at any time for your images and results. You will also take home a debrief sheet, so you have a physical copy of your results for your records.
