Children’s eye care is very important as it helps to ensure that a child’s vision is developing properly and any issues are identified and addressed early. Babies should have their first eye examination at 6 months of age and every year afterwards.

Here are some tips for ensuring good eye health in children:

• Look for warning signs: Watch for any signs that your child might be having vision problems, such as squinting, learning difficulties at school, rubbing their eyes, or holding things very close to their face. If you notice any of these signs, schedule an eye exam right away.
• Encourage outdoor play: Spending time outside can help to reduce the risk of nearsightedness, so encourage your child to play outside as much as possible.
• Limit screen time: Too much screen time can lead to eye strain, dry eyes, and other problems. Try to limit your child’s screen time and encourage them to take frequent breaks.
• Provide good lighting: Make sure your child has good lighting when reading, writing, or doing other close-up work. Good lighting can help reduce eye strain.
• Sunglasses outdoors: UV protection is important year round for everyone but this is especially true for children as their crystalline lens is not as effective at filtering UV light as an adult’s lens. The effects of UV light are cumulative and it is estimated that up to 80% of a person’s lifetime UV exposure occurs by the age of 18. Put those sunglasses on!
• Use protective eyewear: Encourage your child to wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing other activities that could potentially injure their eyes.