How to ensure Children’s Eye Care?

Introduction

Throughout the child’s growing years, their eye health and eyesight will go through many changes that should be monitored. Growing children are prone to a number of eye problems, which, if detected early, can be treated on time and will save your child from a lifelong visual impairment. 

This article will discuss children’s eye diseases and how you can pay more attention to your kid’s eye health. 

What to keep in mind regarding your Child’s eye health?

A few things that you can keep in mind while giving your child the proper eye care are as follows:

1. Make sure your child has a balanced diet

A healthy and balanced diet with all the proper nutrients has been proven to help maintain your children’s overall health and eye health. You need to make sure that your child consumes a diet that includes nutrients like vitamin A, C, and E, lutein, zinc, and omega 3 fatty acids. 

2. Encourage visual engagement

You can encourage the visual engagement of your child through fun games using colourful toys. By playing games like patty and peek-a-boo, you can train hand-eye coordination in your child.

3. Protect your child’s eyes from the sun and digital screen exposure

You can use some protective eyewear while taking your child out to protect their eyes from the sunrays. You should also limit the digital screen exposure from tablets, computers, and mobile phones, which may cause eye strain and affect vision.

4. Take your child for regular eye exams

Regular eye exams with a pediatric ophthalmologist are critical in your child’s growing years as they will help monitor all the changes taking place in your child’s eyes. 

What eye conditions are children prone to?

There are a number of eye problems that children in their growing years may encounter. Some of these common children’s eye diseases are as follows:

• Cataract or clouding of the eye lens needs to be detected and treated on time to avoid permanent vision loss.
• Night blindness- it is a common condition that leads to poor vision in dim light. It is caused due to vitamin A deficiency.
• Amblyopia or lazy eye– it is a condition in which the vision is affected due to misalignment of the eyes. This condition is very common in the early childhood years.
• Childhood tearing- it causes excessive tearing due to the blockage of the drainage system. This condition can be noticed soon after the child is born.
• Children’s ptosis or drooping eyelids- it is mainly caused due to eye muscle weakness and can lead to severe vision problems if left untreated.
• Refractive errors- refractive errors like nearsightedness and farsightedness are common in growing children. This happens when the light passing through the cornea does not bend properly and lands on the wrong place on the retina. 

When should you visit an ophthalmologist?

Parents need to look out for warning signs of eye problems in children. It would help if you immediately took your child to a pediatric ophthalmologist in case you notice any of the following warning signs:

• Squinting
• Lack of interest in distant objects
• Poor hand to eye coordination
• Frequent eye rubbing
• Head tilting
• Holding objects close to eyes
• Increased sensitivity to light

Why CFS?

Centre For Sight or CFS works with a mission of providing the best eye care to all. It offers a range of modern treatment techniques that benefit all its patients. It has the best pediatric ophthalmologists that will handle your child’s eye care with expertise and help you maintain your kid’s eye health.

Article: How to ensure Childrens’ Eye Care?
Author: CFS Editorial Team  |   Apr 01 2022 | UPDATED 02:00 IST

*The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of Centre for Sight.