This month is Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month, and it’s important to take precautions for the eyes of children. Did you know that one in four kids will need eye glasses by age 12? One way to protect your child’s vision is by making sure he or she wears sunglasses when outside. But what about indoors or during sports? Here are some tips according to the Optometrist Network.
- Schedule timely exams
Eye exams are essential for the development of young children. From as early as six months old, your child should get their eyes checked by an eye doctor to track vision growth and detect any anomalies in sight or even signs of something more serious like glaucoma. During these examinations doctors will be looking at how well you can see various detail from far away objects such as a line drawn on paper while also checking close up details including colors and shapes. If anything is off it may not seem that bad now but could lead to problems down the road so make sure you keep up with them!
- Family history
If you want to know if your child will inherit any ocular conditions or vision disorders, knowing family history is a valuable tool! If anyone in your family has been diagnosed with an ocular condition or the same type of eye ailment that you’re seeking information about for yourself; then it’s safe to say there’s a higher chance they’ll have them.
- Spend time in the great outdoors
The outdoors is a great place for children and adults alike. Take the time to go outside every day, it will help your child’s health. The fresh air can even reduce their risk of ocular conditions such as myopia due to its relaxing effect on muscle tissue in our eyes!
- Monitor screen time
Kids these days are so caught up in their phones, computers and TV that they’re damaging their eyes. Research shows prolonged screen time can cause blurred vision, focusing problems and even myopia which is the condition of having nearsightedness where objects seem abnormally close when viewed at distance! So take your kids to an eye doctor regularly for screenings before it’s too late.
- Wear eye protection
With over 1.5 million visits to the emergency room in America each year, eye injuries are no joke! That’s why it is so important for children participating in sports or other games and activities that could cause them harm to wear protective eyewear— you may even want to show your child how many professional athletes also use this safety equipment.
Help your children stay safe with eye protection and the right choices throughout the year. These are just some of the many ways to protect their eyes from accidents and injuries while still making sure your children have fun!