Tips for Educating Children about Eye Health and Safety

Educating Children

The end of holidays means children across numerous states are getting ready to go back to school.

Parents get busy stocking up on school stationery and school uniforms. While this is an important bit, a comprehensive eye exam for your child will detect any vision problems that your child may even not know of. Vision-related problems are a common sight amongst school-going kids. Maybe you’ve noticed your child squinting, but you haven’t arrived at a decision yet whether you want to take your child to an eye doctor. Vision is more than just eyesight. Kids spend a considerable amount in schools and most schools today have projector screens that have replaced the traditional method of writing on the boards.

Here are some steps you can take as a parent when you are at home with your child, to teach them about eye safety and develop healthy eye care habits that can foster a healthy lifestyle and sustain a good vision for a lifetime. Blurry vision is common amongst young kids and the number of time children spends on digital screens today might raise some eyebrows.

Tips to teach Your Child about Eye Health and Safety:

1. Maintain Distance from Digital Screens and Take Frequent Breaks

Keep your child from sitting too close to the television or computer screen and take regular breaks. These breaks could even mean spending time with your furry new family member. Pets like dogs are affectionate animals that have positive effects on childhood and overall development of kids. Also, explain to your child that if their eyes get weak, they won’t be able to play new and upcoming games.

2. Wear Protective eye gears while playing Sports and Keep Chemicals Away from Eyes

Make eye protection a priority for your child and remind them to wear protective eyewear while playing sports. Also, keep your child away from chemicals. Most chemical burns in the eye are caused by household cleaning agents. This could be an emergency. Seeking medical help immediately is crucial in removing the chemical in your child’s eyes. It’s also important for you to explain to your child that their eyes are special and if they harm them, they won’t grow them back like hair and nails.

3. Don’t Rub Eyes

You may have often seen your child rubbing their eyes. Thinking that it may be an allergic reaction or feeling tired, we often tend to ignore signs that may be an indicator of a much larger vision problem. Explain to your child that we use our eyes to see and ask them to imagine a world without sight. Tell them that if they constantly rub their eyes, their eyesight will start deteriorating.

4. Eat Healthy Food

Eating a balanced diet and including green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits and fish will provide you with all the nutrients that are essential in allowing your eyes to function properly. Explain to your child that if they eat their greens, they will become strong like Popeye.

5. Exercise the Eyes

Eye exercises keep the muscles well-toned and ensure that there is a stable supply of blood, leading to improved vision. Weak eyesight can often result in nearsightedness and farsightedness. Exercising the eyes can reduce the chances of problems in eyesight and diseases such as diabetes. Making use of songs to make your child exercise their eyes like ‘move your eyes up and down, roll them around, squeeze them tight’ can make eye exercises a fun learning experience.

6. Proper Light When Reading or Writing

Making sure that there is proper lighting while your child reads, or writes will minimize eye strains and headaches. Your child’s study environment is a vital factor in successfully retaining and learning new information. Also, making use of natural lighting means more Vitamin D for the body.

7. Be Proactive

Be proactive and let your child’s teacher know he/she has any vision problems. This will help the teacher better understand where your child should sit in class or keep in mind your child’s vision problems while re-assigning seats and conducting group activities. Also, explain to your child that if they are not able to see properly, they won’t be able to learn the things taught and will not excel in class.

8. Eye Exam Frequency

Taking your child regularly to the eye doctor plays a vital role in your child’s growing up years. Headaches, rubbing the eyes, itchy eyes or watery eyes may be signs indicating that your child needs vision help. Make sure you address these concerns immediately to avoid further complications.

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