Smita Trivedi Optometrist

The furniture a person uses in the reading task is important. The proper size chair and the distance of the reader from the desk are factors that affect viewing performances. Chairs should be designed for the individual so that their feet can be placed flat on the floor. If a child's feet do not touch the floor, simply place a pile of telephone directories under their feet.

Looking up occasionally Children and adults need to look up and away from near tasks to distant objects regularly.

Sit straight Have chest up, shoulders back so both eyes are at the eye task and at an equal distance from what is being seen.

Sit upright while reading or watching television in bed. Avoid lying on backside or stomach.

Viewing distance Reading, writing or close up work is best done at an eye to activity distance equal to the length between middle knuckle and elbow. This is usually 36 - 41 cm for adults and for a child it is 28 - 32cm.

A BOARD SLANTED 20�, MAKE'S READING AND WRITING EASIER

Lighting Illumination on what you are doing should be three times brighter than the rest of the room. Do not read under a single lamp in a dark room.

Writing position It requires only casual observation of children using pencils and crayons to realise that a great number of them seem to have trouble. Since the pencil grip is a learned skill, very young children can be encouraged to hold them correctly through the use of a soft plastic triangular pencil gripper. With proper grip the child can develop free and easy finger movements. The gripper is pushed on the pencil so that the lower end is about 3cm from the pencil tip. The thumb, the index finger and the side of the supporting middle finger are each in a different facet of the triangular gripper. With the pencil held properly, correct posture becomes possible. This will permit the eyes to function more naturally with less effort. Proper posture demands that the writing surface be at elbow height when sitting upright when the paper should be angled so that the edges are parallel with the forearm of the writing hand. The other hand should participate by holding the paper and preventing it from slipping. These rules apply equally to both right and left handed children.