7 New Year's Resolutions for Your Child's Eye Health
Healthy eyes and clear vision are essential for your child’s growth and development. These seven resolutions help set the stage for better eye health this year and throughout adulthood.
Show Your Child's Eyes Some Love: A Valentine's Day Guide to Healthy Vision
Valentine’s Day is all about showing love, and that includes showing a little extra TLC to your child’s eyes and vision needs. By establishing a few simple habits, you can lay the groundwork for better eye health and help your child make smart decisions about their vision as adults, too.
Fortunately, improving vision habits isn’t difficult, and our team at ABC Children's Eye Specialists makes it even easier with the following simple tips you can begin implementing today.
Schedule regular pediatric eye exams
Having routine eye exams is one of the most important steps you can take to protect your child’s vision. That’s because kids’ eyes and vision develop very rapidly, and many vision problems don’t cause noticeable symptoms.
Regular exams help catch issues early, when they’re often easiest to treat.
Professional eye exams also help your child thrive at school, in sports, and in social settings.
Clear vision plays a major role in reading, writing, and play time, setting the stage for success in pretty much every area of your child’s life. Identifying vision problems early helps avoid potential struggles and frustration with learning and other activities.
If your child wears glasses, those regular exams also ensure their prescription stays up to date. Considering how rapidly kids’ vision needs change as they grow, regular exams are especially critical for keeping vision strong and preventing strain and other problems.
Encourage healthy screen habits
Screen time is a major part of the daily routine for many kids, and while a little time on a tablet, computer, or phone is okay, too much time spent staring at a screen can strain young eyes.
To reduce the risk of strain, encourage your child to take regular breaks using the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Proper lighting and screen positioning also matter. Ideally, keep the screen slightly below eye level and at a comfortable distance to reduce eye strain and fatigue. Adjusting brightness depending on the ambient lighting can make screens easier on the eyes, as well.
Finally, be sure to strike a balance between screen time and activities that support better eye health.
Reading printed books, playing outdoors, and doing puzzles, crafts, or other creative activities gives eyes a much-needed break from digital devices while instilling other important skills and hobbies.
Fuel their vision with eye-healthy nutrition
What your child eats can have a significant impact on their vision and eye health, especially during the years of growth and development.
Be sure their diet includes plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean proteins, each of which contains nutrients important for eye health.
Keep healthy snacks on hand and cut back on processed snacks and sweets. Having pre-cut fruits and vegetables on hand, along with a yogurt-based dip or nut butter, makes it easy for your child to reach for a healthy treat when they’re hungry.
Protect young eyes during play and sports
When it comes to protecting your child during sports and other play, most of us think first of protective gear, like knee pads or helmets. However, your child’s eyes need protection, too.
In fact, many eye injuries can be prevented with a little attention to eye protection. Our team can help you select the right eyewear based on your child’s sport, including eyewear featuring lenses matched to your child’s glasses prescription.
Protecting your child’s eyes from too much ultraviolet (UV) radiation is also essential.
Help them choose — and consistently wear — sunglasses featuring complete UV protection whenever they’re outdoors, even during the winter, when the sun tends to be lower in the sky and less intense.
A little love goes a long way
Valentine’s Day can be a great reminder to schedule your child’s annual eye exam, but protecting your child’s vision is a year-round endeavor.
Help your child understand the importance of protecting their eyes to make it easier for them to observe the habits that can help them enjoy better vision for the rest of their lives.
To schedule your child’s exam or to learn more about what you can do to protect your child’s vision, call our offices to request an appointment with our team at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists in Phoenix, Avondale, Sun City, Gilbert, and Mesa, Arizona, today.
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