Eye Health for Children: What Parents Need to Know

Many parents make their child's health a priority with the foods that are served or the amount of physical activity that they get during the week. Unfortunately, it can be easy to forget about the child's eye health. Kids can develop eye issues at any age, which is why it's necessary to monitor their vision as they grow.

Signs Something’s Wrong
You'll need to be aware of signs of common eye problems in toddlers to determine if your child is developing eye issues early on in life. Kids need to undergo eye exams to ensure they can see from a distance or up close and obtain prescription eyewear if their vision is compromised. According to Murphy Eye Associates, parents should have their child checked early and more often in the event they suffered from premature birth, developmental delays, turned or crossed eyes, a family history of eye problems, suffer an eye injury, or other illnesses that affect them or their eyes.
How to Protect Them

Although it can often be difficult to avoid eye issues due to multiple factors that come into play, there are still ways to protect children and help maintain their vision. Limit the amount of screen time that they get each day, which can lead to eye strain due to too much exposure to blue light. Kids need to rest their eyes every 20 minutes by looking at a distance for 20 seconds. According to Aurora Health Care, they should stare at an object that is 20 feet away, which allows them to follow the 20-20-20 rule.

Changing Their Diet
According to Real Kids Shades, your child's diet and the nutrients they consume directly influence their eye health. Children should get plenty of fruits and vegetables in their diet. Fish is also a beneficial food to eat due to the omega-3 fatty acids it contains. Additional foods to incorporate into their diet include nuts and legumes, carrots, beef, sweet potatoes, eggs. Proper hydration can also affect their eyesight to prevent them from suffering from dry eyes. A multivitamin that contains zinc, vitamin E, vitamin C, and copper oxide will also compensate for certain nutrients they aren't consuming.
 
Parents can and should become proactive when it comes to protecting their child's eye health and vision. By making a few lifestyle and dietary changes, children can have better vision and a reduced risk for needing prescription eyewear.

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