“Apple of my eyes” – yes, that’s what every child is to their parents. It is not a surprise that babies, since they are born, use all of their senses, including their eyes, to understand and feel everyone around them. Their eyes work tirelessly to look around and recognize their surroundings. As they grow, children learn mostly via their eyes, and they must have good vision in order to read, write, see the chalkboard or computer, and even play. As children get older, their eyesight changes fast. Children’s visual behavioral patterns develop in a predictable order as they progress through infancy, preschool, and school.
With the recent epidemic and commercialization of gadgets, children are spending a majority of their time indoors and occupying themselves with these media. As a result of this extended exposure to bright light and gazing at a screen too closely, their vision is likely to degrade. It’s always important to discourage them from overusing electronic devices while simultaneously teaching them how to use adequate eye protection.
It’s not always easy to tell whether the kids have an eye condition. We can probably notice that –
They rub their eyes a lot.
They squint or blink more.
They strain eyes which may cause headaches.
They close one eye, to see clearly.
Hold a book close to their face.
Some of the common types of eye problems that can be detected through eye checkups are –
Myopia (nearsighted): The child has a problem seeing clearly in the distance. Blurred vision is not genetic, rather, it is due to abnormal and strained vision habits.
Hypermetropia (farsighted): The child has a problem seeing any near objects. Farsightedness is not hereditary too.
Astigmatism: The eyeball is oval, which can be oriented at any angle/axis. Although the exact cause of astigmatism is unknown, genetics plays a significant role. Astigmatism is a condition that arises when a person is nearsighted or farsighted.
Now, let’s see what we as parents should give our kids to keep their eyesight healthy.
Vitamin A: The deficiency of vitamin A can cause impaired vision.
Vitamin C: The lens and humor of eyes need seven times the level of Vitamin C than any other body part. They act as antioxidants and prevent cataracts.
Vitamin D: Its anti-inflammatory properties help enhance tear production which is an effective therapy for Dry Eye Syndrome sufferers (DES).
Vitamin E: Poor intake of Vitamin E can cause cataracts.
So, it is always advisable to include fruits and vegetables rich in these micro-nutrients.
While medical treatments such as glasses and surgery are available, the below notes do help in tracking and improving overall eye health.
Once every 1 to 2 years, children aged 3 and above should get a full eye checkup by an Optometrists. Many students undergo a “vision screening” at school.
For lazy eye condition, an eye patch or eye drops is suggested to be used. The brain is retrained to see with the weak eye.
Introduce eye relaxing exercises and take a break from the screen. Wearing glasses only corrects the refractive error but does not improve vision. The most popular “Vision Training” was introduced by Dr. William Bates, which has proven to benefit many.
Try the 20-20-20 rule to prevent eye strain. For every 20 minutes spent in front of a screen, attempt to glance away for 20 seconds at anything 20 feet away from you.
It’s time to prioritize eye health in children’s healthcare. For this, we must start instilling appropriate eating and vision exercise/training practices in children at an early age. Like every other lifestyle habit, good eye practice must start early too!
Author: Manisha Shrivastava
List of references
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Gesell, A(2013), Vision – Its Development In Infant and Child.
Johnson, E. and Rasmussen, H., (2013). Nutrients for the aging eye. Clinical Interventions in Aging, [online] p.741. [Available at] <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3693724/> [Accessed 11 November 2021]
Ping, LP (2016), A habit builder that improves eyesight for young children. [Available at] http://lbms03.cityu.edu.hk/studproj/ee/2016eelpp510.pdf
Quackenbush, TR (1999), Relearning to See: Improve your Eyesight naturally
