Aug. 12, 2021 — Aligning with Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, Lighthouse Guild has shared five healthy vision tips to share with parents, teachers, and children to safeguard the eye health of today’s kids.
“The most important thing you can do to protect your child’s vision is to make sure they get an eye exam,” says Laura Sperazza, O.D., Lighthouse Guild’s director of low vision services. “An eye health professional can determine if your child needs eyeglasses or contact lenses, or if there is a vision problem that requires further intervention.”
Lighthouse Guild shares the following highlighted tips:
- Eat Your Carrots: Encourage children to eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of nutrients. For EB’s roundup of five eye-healthy foods, click here.
- Speak Up: Make it clear to children that they should alert adults if they experience vision changes such as blurriness, squinting, or eye discomfort.
- Wear Your Glasses (or CLs): Share the importance of wearing glasses or their contact lenses. If children are reluctant about wearing their glasses, mention sports figures, celebrities, and other well-known individuals who rock frames. For a roundup of on-trend options for kids, click here.
- Rest Your Eyes – With virtual learning becoming more prominent for children amid Covid-19, share with them the importance of taking a break from digital screens. Teach the 20/20/20 rule: After 20 minutes on the digital device, take a break for 20 seconds, and look 20 feet away to relax the eyes. For EB’s roundup of blue light eyewear options for kids, head here.
- Wear Safety Gear – Ensure that children wear goggles or other types of protective eyewear while playing sports, using chemicals or tools for school projects, or engaging in other activities.