Apart from scheduling regular children’s eye exams, here are some easy and simple ways to encourage your little one to practice good eye care habits for long-term healthy vision.
Vision plays a very important role in children’s physical, cognitive, and social development and it’s important to ensure they receive regular eye exams because uncorrected vision problems can:
- impair child development
- interfere with learning
- lead to permanent vision loss
- lead to poor athletic performance
Calgary Children’s Eye Exams
At Market Mall Optometry, we offer a wide range of children’s eye services including eye exams, eye emergency care, and contact lens fittings to ensure that your child’s vision remains healthy, clear, and comfortable.
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4 Tips on How To Teach Your Kid Good Eye Care Habits
Everyone knows how important it is to teach kids healthy habits at a young age. Oftentimes, parents are focused on making sure they eat a balanced diet, brush and floss their teeth, and use sunscreen when outdoors.
But how often do you focus on teaching your child about healthy eye care habits? Here are 5 simple ways to start:
1. Take Your Children For Regular Eye Exams
Scheduling a children’s eye exam at least once a year is extremely important for your little one’s visual development. Not only does this set a good example for your kids and give you peace of mind, but the regular visits can have many benefits. These include:
- improved school performance
- early diagnosis and treatment of certain vision conditions (eg. amblyopia or strabismus)
- clearer and more comfortable vision
- reduced symptoms of vision-related problems such as headaches, eye strain, or short attention spans.
Taking your child to visit the eye doctor will encourage them to be more mindful of the way they look after their eyes, and having the encouragement from a professional can often have a huge impact on how likely they are to continue these good habits in the future.
2. Encourage Your Kids to Wear Sunglasses
Sunglasses are essential for protecting eyes against the sun’s harmful UV rays and should be worn whenever it’s sunny outside. It’s important for parents to set a good example because exposure to UV rays can lead to:
- photokeratitis (eye sunburn)
- an increased risk of developing cataracts later on in life
- higher risk of age-related macular degeneration
- dry eyes or eye strain
REMEMBER: UV rays are still present even in winter time, so sunglasses should be worn all year round for the best protection.
3. Inspire a Healthy Diet
A balanced and nutritious diet is essential for keeping the whole family healthy and it’s the best protective method of keeping everyone free from illness and disease. Make sure to educate your kids about a well-rounded diet and teach them the importance of vegetables, nuts, and oily fish in boosting eye health.
Nutritional Tips For Healthy Eyes
4. Help Your Kids Take Care of Their Eyeglasses
Not only is good eye care and cleanliness important, but looking after our eyeglasses is just as crucial and this should be something that you practice and share with your children. Make sure to:
- teach them the best methods of cleaning their lenses.
- get them their own glasses case to store their eyeglasses when they’re not wearing them.
- practice the correct technique of putting on and removing eyeglasses.
- be patient and talk to your child about his/her concerns or questions when it comes to wearing or looking after their eyeglasses.
5 Tips For Parents With Kids Wearing Eyeglasses
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To find out more about our children’s vision services including eye exams, contact lens fittings, and dry eye care, contact our Calgary eye clinic at 403-286-4884 or fill in our online contact form.
