Finding Ways to Keep the Eyes Strong
By Brandi Goodman
Children's Eye Health and Safety Month occurs in August. This month encourages parents to teach their children about keeping their eyes healthy and strong. You, as the parent, should focus on your own eye health so you're leading by example. Sight can go quickly as we age, so keeping our vision strong is a necessary part of remaining healthy overall.
Get Routine Vision Screening
Your child's primary care physician may start administering eye tests at their yearly checkups. They will be instructed to cover one eye and read the letters from a chart from a distance away. This can help to determine how strong your child's eyes are or if they struggle to see. You should also take your child to an actual eye doctor for routine vision screening. This is particularly true of the initial results are less than ideal. Seeing an eye doctor and assessing how well the eyes work will help with prevention. If problems are detected early, children can start wearing glasses sooner or find other alternatives for strengthening their vision.
Wear Sunglasses
The whole family should be wearing sunglasses when outdoors, including infants. Buy a pair of sunglasses (or two) for every member of the family and ensure each person is wearing them when outside. The UV rays from the sun can cause damage to the eyes just as it can to the skin. This is particularly true if your child looks directly up at the sun. Sunglasses will keep the eyes protected to some capacity.
Protect From Home Hazards
Infants especially need to be protected from home hazards that can damage their eyes. Misuse of toys, contact with harmful products, and even a slip and fall can be a cause for concern when it comes to your child's vision. You need to monitor your child well and keep harmful products out of reach so they do not poke, scratch, or spray their eyes and damage their sight.
Protect From Outdoors and Sports
Both sports and the outdoors can provide concerns for eyesight. You need to be diligent when it comes to offering protection for your kids and offering guidance on how best to protect themselves. Wearing the proper gear and eyewear is particularly important where sports are concerned. When it comes to outdoor safety, much of the concern equates to the potential for debris to fly into the eyes or chemicals to splash into them. This could happen during hazardous weather, which should be avoided, or when working in the yard.
Encourage yourself and your children to focus on eye health during the month of August and thereafter. You need to keep your vision strong if you hope to have healthy eyes that continue seeing well as you age.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Eastvale, Calif.