August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, which makes now the perfect time to spread awareness about children’s visual health. Here are a few tips from an eye doctor that will go a long way in safeguarding your children’s eyesight and visual health.
Maintain a Healthy Diet
Healthy food is essential for healthy eyes. Help your children develop a healthy, balanced diet, preferably with food rich in nutrients such as zinc, vitamins C and E, lutein and omega-3 fatty acids. A healthy diet also helps prevent problems such as diabetes, which can cause eye-related issues.
Encourage a Good Sleep Schedule
Restful sleep benefits all aspects of health, including visual health. Children need at least eight hours a sleep at night to be properly rested. To promote healthy sleep habits, minimize screen time in the hours before bed and encourage younger children in particular to stick to early bedtimes.
Limit Their Screen Time
Children have plenty of access to technology at home, but looking at screens too long, especially during nighttime can cause eye problems. We recommend limiting the amount of time that children can use their gadgets, as well as having them use those gadgets only in well-lit areas.
Get Glasses If Necessary
Some eye problems (such as astigmatism) tend to get worse over time, but prescription glasses can slow down or even halt the progression of these issues. If you think your child has vision problems, you need to take them to an eye expert and have them fitted with eyeglasses that have corrective lenses as soon as possible.
Keep your children’s eyes healthy with help from our team. Opti-Care is the leading eye care specialist in Westminster, MD, providing pediatric services, dry eye treatments and more. You can call us at (410) 795-8670 or fill out this contact form to request an appointment.