Eye Care Tips for Children

Eyes are the window to our soul. We have to take care of our eyes as they are quite precious. The American Academy of Ophthalmology believes that early detection and treatment of several eye ailments may reduce the chances of vision loss. To ensure that your child’s eyes are healthy, you need to know about certain preventive measures such as visual screening tests, regular eye check-up and minimizing the chances of eye trauma.

As a responsible parent, you can ask your children to use safety equipment during recreational activities and sports to prevent any type of eye trauma. Here are a few basic eye care tips for your children which can be helpful for maintaining healthy eyes:

• Even if your child is unable to read any letters, you can still take him/her for an eye examination. If there is a family history of wearing glasses, then you should take your child for eye check-up by the time he/she turns 3 years old.
• You should always ensure that the room is well-lit when your child is reading or doing homework. This step prevents them from straining their eyes.
• You should ensure that your child eats balanced amount of green vegetables. Green vegetables contain substances like zeaxanthin and lutein which help in preventing eye conditions, for example, ocular melanoma (eye cancer) and macular degeneration (age-related).
• You should ensure regular breaks for your child if he/she is a computer addict or a bookworm.
• Also make sure that your child is not lying down while reading. It strains the eyes. A good posture helps in preventing this eye strain.
• Ask your child to wear protective eye wear to prevent eye trauma while playing sports such as swimming, squash or badminton.