Healthy vision is essential for every child's development. Weak vision or eye problems can affect a child's learning ability and personality, as well as their capacity to handle schoolwork. The next time you take your child for a medical checkup, be sure to include an eye exam.
Below are some common eye problems in children:
- Amblyopia: Also known as "lazy eye," amblyopia is poor vision in one eye that appears normal. Crossed eyes and different refractive errors between the two eyes cause amblyopia. Ideally, it should be treated before the age of 8, after which it can cause irreversible vision loss in the affected eye.
- Strabismus: Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes do not align correctly when looking at an object. If detected early, vision can be restored by placing a patch over the correctly aligned eye, forcing the misaligned eye to work. It can be corrected surgically or with specially designed glasses.
- Refractive errors: When the shape of the eye does not refract light correctly, images will appear blurry. Refractive errors can also cause amblyopia (lazy eye). Common refractive errors include:
- Myopia: Myopia is poor distance vision when you cannot see things that are far away.
- Farsightedness: when you have trouble seeing close objects, it is called farsightedness.
- Astigmatism: This causes an imperfect curvature of the front surface of the eye, making objects appear "stretched" or "shrunken."
Prevention is better than cure, so it's best to catch problems in their early stages and prevent eye problems before they occur. Here are some essential tips to help your child develop and maintain healthy vision:
1. Observe the warning signs:
Your child may not recognize eye problems, so be alert to signs of vision impairment. Visit one of our Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus specialists if your child squints, rubs their eyes excessively, closes one eye or tilts their head while reading or watching television, sits too close to electronic screens, or holds books closer than usual, etc.
2. Promote proper eye care:
Help your child develop good eye care habits from a young age. Teach them to wash their hands frequently and avoid touching or rubbing their eyes. Wearing protective eyewear, especially when playing sports, working with tools, and swimming, is another good habit.
3. Avoid digital eye strain:
Children have started using digital screens as much as adults. Digital eye strain can cause a host of eye problems. Try to delay your child's exposure to digital screens or keep it restricted to educational purposes. Try to limit digital screen time, especially at night.
4. Schedule regular eye exams:
We recommend bringing your child to our clinic in Santa Cruz de Tenerife at least once a year, even if they don't seem to have any eye problems. In most cases, the symptoms of eye diseases or vision problems aren't immediately apparent, which is why thorough examinations are so important.
5. Special attention to nutrition:
Make sure your child has a balanced diet. Nutrition is crucial for eye health, especially vitamins A, C, and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids. A balanced diet promotes vision development and helps prevent obesity and related diseases, such as diabetes, which can affect eye health.
6. Long live outdoor play!
Playing outdoors instead of being glued to the TV or computer can help your child's vision in more ways than one. First, it reduces near-point stress and digital eye strain. Second, exposure to different proximities and colors in natural light helps children develop and exercise their visual senses. Just make sure they wear sunglasses with 99-100% UV protection outdoors, as excessive UV exposure can cause eye damage.
7. Don't forget to protect their eyes:
Sports are fun, but they can also expose your child to all sorts of injuries, especially eye injuries. Encourage them to wear protective goggles or face masks during contact sports, as well as swimming goggles to protect themselves from chlorine and germs when they're in the pool.
8. Promote adequate rest:
Your child may spend most of their time reading books or working on the computer when the school year starts, but they also need adequate rest. To keep their eyes healthy, encourage them to get plenty of sleep, go outside for fresh air and exercise, take frequent breaks while reading and using digital screens, and blink often. If their eyes get enough rest, there's a lower risk of eye strain, dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches, backaches, and more.
Can Lasik laser surgery help children with vision problems?
Many parents wonder if LASIK eye surgery is safe for children and if it offers any benefits for eye development. Eye surgery should only be performed after your child turns 18, especially elective vision correction procedures like LASIK.
This is primarily because a child's vision can change as they grow, counteracting the effects of laser eye surgery. If you'd like to schedule a comprehensive eye exam for your child with one of our specialists in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus , contact Clínica Nivaria today! We'd be happy to assist you!
