I often find my kids completely engrossed the moment they get gadgets in their hands. This engrossment is actually on the border of obsession or addiction which scares me. Are you finding it very difficult too to take away the gadgets from kids? Do they become irritable and try their best to hog the gadgets for maximum possible time? Do you see that their focus on studies and other activities goes for a toss after screen time? Have you observed other symptoms like watery eyes, tiredness? I have seen all this happening with my kids to an extent. That’s why I am really loving plano® now a days!

Myopia and My Family

I had Myopia which later got corrected with Lasik surgery but each of those days where I used to wear thick glasses or contact lenses are etched in my memory forever. Such high dependency on specs I used to have! I was hoping that my kids don’t get Myopia but alas, their eyes followed after their mom’s and now both my kids have Myopia. In fact, little boy even has astigmatism. I know it’s very common now a days but still it makes me very uncomfortable to see them always wearing specs.

Parent Struggles

Another parenting woe besides kids’ myopia that many of us are facing is to decide how much screen time is too much. Controlling  kids’ screen time effectively and letting them explore outdoors is another challenge we parents are facing.

Do you know that Myopia is now 9 TIMES more common in Singaporean children than Australian children?

In Singapore, 53% of parents reported issues with their child’s device usage, with too much screen time and face-to-screen distance being the biggest problems.

plano®, THE MYOPIA BUSTER AND MORE!

In a nutshell, plano® is a parental health management app developed through the Singapore Eye Research Institute-Singapore National Eye Centre’s (SERI-SNEC) Ophthalmic Technologies Incubator Programme, with additional support from the National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC). By the way, I got my Lasik done from SNEC and can vouch by their quality, service and innovation!

plano® is the first of its kind to have live interventions to correct unhealthy device usage. Interventions include active monitoring of how close the screen is to the eyes, prompts to adjust the user’s posture and reward based time on device management. This is something as a parent I always wanted.

• plano® uses AI or Artificial Intelligence to detect early signs of myopia in kids and to ensure that they are receiving regular eye checks.
• plano® also generates valuable insights and reports so that parents can monitor their child’s progress, as well as recommendations for eye checks and professional tips to aid in maintaining health device use. It actually makes life simple for parents when it comes to combating Myopia.

plano® is a trusted ally for parents

I find it much easier and reliving when it comes to managing kids’ Screen time. plano® is easy to download and install, its setup and registration is very straightforward. User interface of plano® app is simple to navigate and there’s so much more to it which is fun and factual at the same time.

Why I call plano® as my trusted ally?

• Scheduling and monitoring of screen time – plano® app allows me to set timers, reminders and I could set up NO-SCREEN TIMES. That means, when it comes to homework or playground play etc. Kids better adhere rather than avoiding these necessary tasks.
• Child Mode On / Off – it’s very easy to turn your smart device to safe device. Blue filter on, browser blocked, apps blocked – all these settings come handy when kids go berserk with gadgets.

• If you are thinking that plano® is great for parents but for kids, it’s not. Think again! plano® is fun even for kids. Kids can customize the avatars and they get rewarded for their better use of devices. They can then shop for their favorite outdoor activities.

• plano® is a win-win for all in the family. It helps to cultivate good screen habits, encourages outdoor play and facilitates better management and control of myopia. What else a Mom or Dad wants?!
• Short-sightedness, device dependency and lack of outdoor activity are public health concerns not only in Singapore but worldwide. Kids need to know the trouble excessive usage of gadgets cause as early as possible. plano®  is bringing some exciting story books from the Plano Adventures series. The stories are based on real scientific research, written specially for young readers to tackle these adverse effects of excessive device use. I can’t wait to get hold of its copy for my kids.

Get your plano® – It’s a Free app!

planoⓇ app is available in Apple’s App Store as well Google Playstore. I have been using it and I will definitely recommend it for you all to try out too.

Download it – Apple |  Google

I feel empowered with plano® installed on my smart devices. What are you doing to combat Myopia and to manage screen time? Do share.