6 ways to protect improve your childs eyesight

Did you know that 1 in 10 kids in Malaysia has undiagnosed vision problems that lead to chronic headaches and learning difficulties?

As parents, we often assume that our children’s eye sight is in good shape because they are still young, but it’s hard to say these days with the rise of gadgets that has become such a norm in our kids’ daily life.

So before they start squirting their eyes and start complaining about headaches or eye pain, it’s important that we protect and improve our children’s eyesight now, to prevent eyesight problems in the future.

Here are 6 ways to protect and improve your child’s eyesight.

1 Rest The Eyes

Whether it’s reading, writing or watching their favourite show on the TV, it is recommended to take regular breaks every 30-40 mins to rest the eyes.

When it comes to tablets, mobile phones and other handheld devices, parents should also limit the time on them. In fact, the American Academy of Paediatric (AAP) recommends that children should engage with entertainment media for no more than 1 or 2 hours per day¹. Television or other entertainment media should be avoided for infants and children under age 2.

2 Get regular eye checks

Eye doctors recommend bringing your child for an eye exam from as early as six months of age.

This is to ensure that if a problem is detected, early treatment can help to stop the progression of any disorder, and ensure the most optimal results.

3 Create a bedtime for devices (limit screen time)

The amount of time children spend on computers, tablets, smartphones, and watching TV in this day and age has stirred up concern among eyecare professionals. Prolonged screen time can cause blurry vision, focusing problems, and may even increase their risk for developing myopia.

To protect your child’s eyesight, limit their screen time each day and ensure that your child takes frequent breaks while using any type of digital device. Keep in mind that setting a good example for your child is a critical part in making this a success as well. Incorporate these tips into your life, to care for your own ocular health as well.

4 Wear Sunglasses Outdoors

A lot of parents tend to take this lightly, but wearing sunglasses when your kids are outdoors is not just about looking cool. Wearing sunglasses will protect your child’s eyes from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that may cause serious ocular diseases later in life.
When purchasing a new pair of shades for your child, be sure to find sunglasses that contain 100% UV protection and not just the ones that look good.

5 Incorporate Proper Dietary Habits

These days, we live in a fast-paced world where many of us don’t have time to cook gourmet dinners every night. To satisfy our children’s tummies, we tend to rely on a lot of foods that are easy and fast to cook such as packaged foods, lunch meats, sausages and pizzas, which may not contain the sufficient vitamins and nutrition that our growing child needs
While these meals may taste good, try to incorporate as many fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet. Eating vegetables and fruits that are high in lutein and zeaxanthin have been found to protect eyes from free radical damage². These nutrients can be found in foods such as kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, egg yolks, corn, avocado, pistachios, goji berries, kiwi, grapes, orange juice and zucchini.

6 Take eye supplements such as Nature’s Way Kids A+ Blue Light Gummies

While incorporating a proper dietary habit is important, it can be a little challenging due to their pickiness.
It definitely isn’t easy to feed a child kale or spinach or avocados on a daily basis, so here’s where eye supplements can help to fill in the gap.

Reference:
1) https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/pages/media-and-children.aspx
2) http://blogs.webmd.com/food-and-nutrition/2012/08/vision-quest-keep-an-eye-or-two-out-for-these-foods.html

Featured in Parenthood Magazine February Issue 2023