With a new year beginning, it’s a great time to think about how to better care for yourself and your family. Children have a unique set of eye care needs, and caring for those needs is very important to keep them on track for learning and socialization. Here are some great eye care tips to help your little one see clearly.
Annual Check-Up
Just as the yearly child wellness medical exam is important, so too is a kid’s eye exam. This allows the optometrist to monitor for any issues that may be developing, plus ensures that your child is seeing both nearby and distant objects clearly. A child who can’t see the board or who can’t make out the words on the screen or page is a child at a learning disadvantage.
Teaching Hygiene
Children are exposed to a monumental amount of germs on a daily basis. This includes pink eye and other bacteria that are likely to cause a bad eye health situation. Take the time to teach children to wash their hands regularly, especially after playing with community toys. Also help them build a habit of not touching or rubbing their eyes unless their hands are clean, to prevent introduction of harmful germs into the eye’s vulnerable environment.
Eye Protection
A great way to protect your child’s vision is to teach them good habits and lead by example. For instance, when working on a home project involving autos or power tools, make a game or routine out of “gearing up” and putting on protective eyewear. During sporting activities, do the same. By making it fun or normal, your child won’t second guess the need for protective eyewear. Your optometrist can help fit your child for the correct sports goggles or safety glasses during a kid’s eye exam.
Your child’s vision can be stolen in a fraction of a second, but protecting them is simple and quick. Talk to your Phoenix eye care provider today for other pediatric eye care tips.
