Help Your Child Maintain Eye Health

Preventing health issues before they begin is a great way to maintain health. To mark Low-Vision Awareness Month, here are some diet and lifestyle tips to help optimize your child’s eye health and prevent potential problems.

Incorporate a variety of fruits and vegetables into your child’s diet, including leafy greens. Fish can also be beneficial for eye health. A healthy diet helps your child maintain a healthy weight, which puts them at lower risk for diabetes and other issues that could result in vision problems.

Make sure to occasionally ask your child if their eyes are bothering them or if they notice any changes in their vision. The quicker you address eye problems, the better.

Outside of diet, cleanliness is important. Show your child the correct way to clean their glasses, and make sure they know to wash their hands before touching their eyes. Secondhand smoke can also cause eye and overall health problems.

If your child is spending a lot of time watching TV or looking at their phone or computer, suggest they take a break every 20 minutes. Wearing protective eyewear when swimming, mowing the lawn, or doing any other activity that could endanger their eyes is advisable. Sunglasses that block out 99% or 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation from the sun can also help maintain eye health.

And make sure they know never to look directly at the sun!