As a parent, you have the responsibility of taking care of your child’s health while they are still too young to learn how to do this for themselves. One area of health that is very important for you to keep an eye on is, fittingly, eyesight. Of course, if you or your partner have sight problems, then you will already be aware that your child may develop these as well, but even if not, there are things you can do to maintain the health of their eyes for the future.
Think about screen time
According to several optometrists, one of the most significant risks to eyesight is screen time on devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. This is not something that is new, and many people already have some idea that there are problems caused by screens. However, learning how screen time can negatively hurt your child’s eyes will help you to understand the risk better.
My doctor from the eye care center says that when spending too much time concentrating on close up objects like smart devices, you can actually end up changing the shape of your eye, which is often likened to that of a rugby ball. This happens because the person is only concentrating on things close to them and not taking breaks to look up and let the eye refocus in the distance to maintain long-distance vision, causing the eye to lose this ability. While the change in eye shape can be remedied with the use of glasses, limiting your child’s time on screens and making sure they take breaks is essential.
Make check-ups a regular occurrence
Even if there are no genetic sight problems to pass down, finding a reputable optometrist Summerville and booking in an appointment every year while your child is still growing up will help to spot any eye problems, like a cataract, in the earliest stages and get their vision corrected or, at least, limit further loss of sight through eye strain.
The impact of a good diet on their eyes
You might not know this, but there are foods that help maintain eyesight and are useful to introduce into your family’s diet to help strengthen everyone’s vision in the long-term.
Fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to maintaining eye moisture and reducing the degeneration of vision. Leafy greens, such as the superfood kale, are full of lutein and zeaxanthin. These are plant pigmentations that can aid in the prevention of macular degeneration and cataract surgery in the future.
Exercise is good for your eyes too
Last but not least, there are exercises for healthy eyesight that you can easily do every day to keep them as healthy as the rest of your body.
One of the simplest ways was mentioned above. When using a screen, make sure you look up at least once every twenty minutes and let your eyes adjust to looking into the distance to preserve your long-distance vision. This is also known as the 20-20-20 rule (every twenty minutes, look at something twenty feet away for twenty seconds).