An Auckland charity has found 25 percent of children across three schools are suffering with eyesight problems after running hearing and vision tests.
It's a shocking statistic and one optometrist is blaming increased screen time for a "wave" of children with short-sightedness and other eye issues.
"We thought when we started this pilot to look at vision and hearing we might find a few students, so it was pretty daunting when we realised we had 25 percent of kids needing glasses," Painga Project founder Sarah Corson said.
Optometrist Ryan Mahmoud said short sightedness and dry eyes in children has skyrocketed during his 15 years in the job.
"It almost seems like a wave you can't stop that will hit everyone," Dr Mahmoud said.
He believes a lot of it is down to increased screen time.
"Using devices has been shown in some studies to contribute to some kids becoming short sighted; particularly if they use devices for long periods of time without interruption," he said.
Early intervention is key to managing the problem - but that hasn't been happening.
"In school year 7, screening hasn't happened since 2019, for a variety of reasons including COVID," Corson said.
"That screening in year 7 is too late. The child has had six years of school potentially not being able to learn."
The new Government has promised to improve basic reading, writing and maths skills for children but Corson said hearing and vision issues need to be taken care of first because it's a lot harder to learn if kids can't see or hear.
"Fund glasses and hearing support for all primary and intermediate aged children - that will change the trajectory for tens of thousands of students and the future for New Zealand."
