Want Healthy Eyes for Your Children?

By Dr. Parul Sharma in Eye Care / Ophthalmology , Ophthalmology

Nov 09 , 2020 | 1 min read

Eating green vegetables and carrot is good for your eyes ……is what we tell our children. But is that enough ? How can you evade problems that can cause vision issues, allergies, squint eye, and other serious eye problems in children? Early detection is the best form of prevention. The signs can help you in assessing if your child is having an eye problem:

Poor performance /lack of concentration in school
Unable to see the objects at a distance
Squinting or crossed eyes
Watering or rubbing of eyes
Frequent headaches
Sensitivity to light
Difficulty in following an object
White pupil instead of black

Some good habits for the child to follow:

Make your child eat green veggies & Yellow fruits as they contain zeaxanthin and lutein.
Ensure that there is sufficient light when your child is doing homework or any extracurricular work to avoid straining of eyes
Make sure that your child takes frequent eye breaks while on screen (tv, laptop, I pad) as continuous straining may lead to visual problems and cause red and sore eyes.
Protect your child’s eye by making them wear sunglasses for outdoor activities to avoid over exposure to sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays .
When playing outdoor games like swimming, badminton, squash ensure that your child wears protective goggles to avoid any risk of eye injury.

Mandatory routine eye check ups for children:

Take your child for routine eye check examinations even on slightest suspicion. An Ophthalmologist can examine children’s eyes even if they are unable to read letters. You should aim to take children for their first eye examination at least by the time they are three years old, especially if there is a family history of wearing glasses.

All Premature newborns should be examined by an ophthalmologist.

Routine eye check up is a must at school entry level ie at 4 to 5years of age . Children never complain of low vision as they do not know what is better.It is only during an eye check up that a vision refractive error (spectacles problem) is detected. Timely spectacles are given to avoid amblyopia ie lazy eyes wherein a child cannot see well even with glasses. Kids who wear contact lenses or prescription glasses should have annual check ups.