With schools starting again, what better time to talk about
child eye health and safety.
Did
you know that 80% of classroom activities are taught visually? It can be hard
on eyes to read white boards at school and now many children also use Chromebook
computers to complete assignments, which can also strain their eyes. Let’s
start the school year off right and make sure our children have no problems
seeing.
Why not get your child in for an eye exam? When children are not able to see
well it doesn’t only effect their academic ability, but also puts a strain on
their extracurricular activities such as band or sports. Just imagine trying to play an instrument and
not being able to read the notes or throwing a football and your eye site is
blurry.
Some
common signs of vision problems that your child may have to give you a clue
that there may be a problem include: rubbing eyes, squinting/squeezing eyes,
turning his/her head to focus on an object, and reports of headaches.
Eye safety is just as important as eye health. Every year many children sustain
an eye injury, but many of the injuries could have been prevented if
precautions had been taken. Injuries can happen at any time, whether it be from
fireworks, toys, etc. Always purchase
toys that meet the safety standards of American Society for Testing and
Materials (ASTM) and wear protective eyewear when necessary. Most protective eyewear is made from a
lightweight polycarbonate and is activity-specific. Corrective lenses and
regular eyeglasses are NOT sufficient.
If your child should experience an eye injury, DO NOT let your child rub their
eye- if there is debris in the eye it can easily be scratched. If chemicals get into the eye, wash the eye
immediately with cold water. If you have tried rinsing their eye and the
debris does not come out, DO NOT try and remove it manually. This could cause
an eye infection and/or damage; seek medical treatment in such cases.
We all want our children to start the school year out right, let’s help protect
their little eyes as much as we can!
