How to be proactive about your child’s eye health

Children’s visual development goes through a lot of stages between birth and maturity. And although these developments occur at a different rate for each child, there are certain things you can do to ensure your child’s eye health is on target.

Physician Courney Lynn Kraus, MD, is an affiliate of Johns Hopkins Medicine. On their website, she gives excellent advice on how to be proactive with your child’s eye health.

“You can help engage your child visually as a newborn and toddler with high-contrast colors and patterns in toys and décor. Give your child time to focus on things around them when in new environments, and approach objects from all angles to get your child comfortable with a wider field of vision.”

She says that an infant’s hand-eye coordination is stimulated by games like patty-cake and peekaboo. Similar stimulation occurs in toddlers or school-age children when they learn to play catch.

Dr. Kraus recommends feeding your child a balanced diet containing nutrients such as zinc, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins A, C and E. All of which have been found to benefit eye health.

“Fruits with vitamins C and E, such as oranges, strawberries and mangos, can help restore tissues and prevent infections. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish can prevent dry eye and reduce future risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

“Leafy greens containing vitamin A such as spinach and kale can help fight dry eye as well as night blindness, and non-meat proteins such as eggs and nuts also help balance your child’s diet. It is also important to remember that a healthy diet can help prevent conditions such as obesity and hypertension, which have been linked to additional eye diseases,” she says.

If you’re a parent, these next words should hit you between the eyes: 90% of eye injuries could have been prevented. Yes. Prevented by your child wearing the proper eye protection.

“As children become more active, be sure to equip them with protective eyewear made with shatterproof plastic, called polycarbonate lenses. Look for eyewear that has been tested to meet the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards. Be sure to scope out any hazardous equipment in the indoor or outdoor locations where your child may be playing,” Dr. Kraus says.

And, about looking at a computer screen all day, she says to make sure the child sits between 18 and 24 inches from the screen. “Encourage your child to follow the 20-20-20 rule, which is to look up from the screen every 20 minutes and look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.” This is good advice for all of us. I’m making a note of it. Although not dangerous, digital devices’ blue light can cause eye strain, blurred vision, dry or irritated eyes, as well as cause problems with focusing.

Dr. Kraus lists the warning signs for vision problems as squinting; head tilting; holding objects very close to the eyes; eye rubbing; sensitivity to light; poor hand-eye coordination, and disinterest in reading or viewing distant objects.

The American Optometric Association’s website adds complaints of discomfort and fatigue, short attention span, frequent headaches, covering one eye, tilting the head to one side, an eye turning in or out, seeing double, and difficulty remembering what he or she read.

“Undetected and untreated vision problems can elicit some of the very same signs and symptoms commonly attributed to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), like hyperactivity and distractibility,” AOA says. They encourage parents to have their children’s eyes professionally examined to avoid misdiagnosis.

Among all the abilities children need to be successful in school, vision ranks at the top. Between reading, writing, looking at the chalkboard, and using computers, your child’s eyes are constantly used in the classroom and the playground.

“When his or her vision is not functioning properly, education and participation in sports can suffer,” AOA says. “Vision is more than just the ability to see clearly or having 20/20 eyesight. It is also the ability to understand and respond to what is seen. There are many basic visual skills beyond seeing clearly that are important to supporting academic success.”

Talk to your pediatrician about when and how often your child needs comprehensive eye examinations.

Kathy Hubbard is a member of the Bonner General Health Foundation Advisory Council. She can be reached at kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com.