Clear and comfortable vision is vital for all aspects of life, so protecting your child’s eyes is absolutely essential.
If your child’s eyes are not functioning properly, it can negatively impact their academic success, sports performance and even their confidence.
Here are 5 tips on how to protect your child’s vision.
1. Schedule routine eye exams
With a comprehensive eye exam, your child’s eye health and vision will be carefully monitored throughout the most important years of development.
While school vision screenings provide a basic assessment of a child’s visual acuity and may be able to identify myopia or severe lazy eye, they cannot evaluate the visual skills necessary for healthy functional vision and academic success.
If your child has a vision problem, your eye doctor will prescribe an effective treatment plan to ensure their eyes and vision continue to develop properly.
2. Limit screen time
Limiting your child’s digital device usage will not only protect your child’s vision in the short term, but in the long run as well.
Hours in front of the screen can lead to uncomfortable symptoms, including:
- Eye strain
- Eye fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Dry eye
- Headaches
Additionally, excessive exposure to blue light that emanates from digital screens can interfere with sleep patterns, concentration levels and behaviors.
Prolonged blue light exposure may also increase your child’s risk of macular degeneration later in life.
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To ensure your child’s eyes are healthy and functioning correctly, schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor near you
3. Encourage healthy habits
A healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet and exercise will not only promote your child’s well being, but can also help to protect their eyes and vision.
Encourage your child to eat foods rich in Omega-3 and vitamins A, C and E— all of which have been proven to promote eye health.
Many fruits and vegetables contain vitamins A, C and E, and high levels of omega-3 fatty acids can be found in fish, flax seeds, chia seeds and walnuts.
Exercise and physical activity is not only beneficial for your child’s body, it also has a positive effect on the eyes. Outdoor play should also be encouraged to help reduce your child’s risk of myopia development, as the focusing muscles in the eyes have a chance to relax in the outdoor space.
4. Protect your child from eye injury
Keep all hazardous chemicals, kitchenware and even certain toys out of reach to protect your child from sight-threatening eye injuries.
Children engage in active play that can sometimes be hazardous to their eye health. Certain types of toys can also be dangerous and pose a risk of eye injury, especially those with pointy edges, or those that shoot projectiles.
Speak with your child about the importance of wearing eye and head protection when playing sports or riding a bike to prevent both eye and head injuries that can have visual effects.
5. Teach good hygiene
Teaching good hygiene habits and setting a good example for your child can protect your child’s eyes from infection.
Frequent hand washing, especially before touching their eyes, should be encouraged, to prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses that can cause many different types of infections, including pink eye.
Similarly, if your child wears contact lenses, ensure that they clean their hands prior to inserting or removing their lenses and adhere to their eye doctor’s instructions on how to properly store and clean their lenses according to their intended schedule— monthlies should be discarded monthly and dailies should be discarded daily.
LEARN MORE: Children’s Vision
Schedule frequent eye exams for your child with an eye doctor near you.
If your child’s eyes are not functioning properly, it can negatively impact their academic success, sports performance and even their confidence.
Establishing healthy habits from an early age is the best way to set your child up for success.
