Eye Care for Kids 101: A Complete Guide for Parents

When you’re a parent, protecting your children is your main priority. Ensuring their five senses remain intact is part of the job.

Vision problems appear between the ages of 18 months and four years of age, according to WebMD. Common eye issues include crossed-eye and uneven focus. So it’s crucial to make sure your child’s eyes receive medical care since there is so much to see in Brooklyn.

Eye care for kids helps them to protect one of the primary functions of daily living, which is the ability to see.

If you’re a new parent or an experienced mom, it’s never too late to become familiar with tips eye care tips.

Read along to learn more.

Essential Eye Care for Kids

While it might seem like eye care for kids is common sense, many children lack the proper lessons on how to maintain good eyesight.

Because vision problems present themselves in children around 18 months old, it’s crucial to pay attention to your child’s behavior.

Often kids give signs through rubbing their eyes, squinting, or steadily closing their eyes.

As a caregiver, it’s up to you to make sure your child’s vision is monitored.

Review the advice below to find out how you can do your part to protect their eyesight.

Proper Nutrition

During your pregnancy, the fetus eats everything you do. Thus, it’s essential to eat balanced meals full of vitamins and minerals for healthy development.

Eating foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, and zinc gives your child’s eyes what they need to grow and function right, according to WebMD.

After the baby is born, it’s up to you to feed your child a proper diet and, eventually, vitamin supplements. Children learn what to eat from their parents, so setting a good example at an early age is vital.

Monitor for Crossed Eyes

Whether you’re a stay at home parent or your child attends daycare paying attention to their eyes is essential. If a child’s eyes cross or wander, it’s best to take your son or daughter to an optometrist.

Many times the problem is treatable if caught early. You don’t want the condition to persist because it might cause difficulty in the child seeing and learning in school.

Check for Pupil Issues

Sometimes eye problems appear in the pupil. Infantile cataracts and congenital glaucoma need immediate care.

Infantile cataracts might occur in newborn babies and look like clouding of the eye lens. Congenital glaucoma is a rare, possibly hereditary, a condition that occurs as a result of high pressure. Incomplete development of the eye drainage canals might be the cause.

The condition is treatable through medication and surgery, according to Kids Health from Nemours.

Provide Protective Athletic Gear

Millions of children and adolescents participate in sports each year. When your child plays a game, be sure to provide all the necessary protective gear.

Sports-related severe eye injuries happen to 30,000 children each year, according to the New Jersey Department of Health.

Common sports-related eye injuries include corneal abrasions, getting hit in the eye, or a foreign object pierces the eye.

Check with your child’s coach and school to find out the recommended protective eyewear for their sport. The protective eyewear might include goggles or eye guards.

If your child sustains an injury, seek medical help right away. Severe eye trauma shouldn’t be ignored as it might lead to permanent damage and loss of eyesight.

Teach Good Hygiene

Now we know washing our hands is part of good hygiene, but young children must be taught how to stay clean.

Teaching your child to wash their hands before meals, after using the bathroom or sneezing, or after handling something dirty, are a few habits to develop.

It’s easy for germs to transfer from a child’s hand into the eye.

Conjunctivitis or “Pinkeye” happens when the conjunctiva gets inflamed, according to WebMD. The cause of pinkeye include bacteria, parasites, viruses, dirt, pool chlorine, and more.

The symptoms might look like redness in the white area of the eye, more tears than usual, and green or white discharge.

Pinkeye is treatable and doesn’t typically cause damage if found early.

Ensure They Get Adequate Rest

We all need to rest. But children and adolescents need more sleep than adults. Their bodies are growing, and the school days are longer. Therefore it’s crucial to enforce bedtime for your child.

Proper rest allows the body and eyes to rest after a long day. If your child doesn’t get enough sleep, they might develop headaches, difficulty focusing or staying awake.

The last thing you want is a cranky kid with blurry vision. So be sure to restrict caffeinated beverages or snacks and limit their screen time before bed.

Limit Screen Time

We live in a digital world where kids are forced to look at a screen throughout the day. Many classrooms use smart boards and have tablets or computers. If you add a personal cell phone to the mix, your kids are staying at a screen all day.

So when they come home from school, try to limit their screen time after their homework is complete. Sometimes using an electronic device to complete assignments is unavoidable. But once schoolwork is finished, try to get them away from a screen.

Annual Eye Exam

Scheduling and attending the yearly eye exam is essential for good eye care in kids. They aren’t able to take control of their doctor’s appointments, but you can.

Stay on top of their eye exams because this ensures their sight remains healthy.

Schedule Your Appointment

After discussing the importance of eye care for kids it’s time you do the right thing. If you’re in the Brooklyn area and need to schedule your children’s annual exam please contact us today. One of our staff members will be happy to assist you.