It’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and that means it’s time to reveal our Brampton West eye care team’s top 4 tips on how to ensure your child’s eyes stay healthy and safe as they grow. Take a look below:
Eye Safety Tip #1: Make Your Home Child-Safe
Make sure that your house is properly set up for small children. Safety gates should be installed at the top and bottom of stairs to prevent falls that might result in injury. Place pads or cushions on sharp table corners to protect against eyes being poked.
Little kids also tend to get into cabinets and drawers where sharp objects and chemicals may be stored. Put locks on all cabinets and drawers, and place chemicals and sprays well beyond your child’s reach.
Eye Safety Tip #2: Help Your Child Have Fun Safely
Always keep age-appropriateness in mind when you or a loved one buys toys for your child. Pellet guns or BB guns should be completely off-limits, as they’ve been consistently linked to eye injuries. Caution should also be taken with toy guns that shoot soft bullets, which can also damage eyes when misused.When playing sports, children should always wear appropriate safety gear, including helmets and sports glasses or goggles made with shatter-proof polycarbonate lenses. These are especially helpful for baseball as well as full-contact sports such as basketball, football, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, and paintball.
Eye Safety Tip #3: Be Conscientious About Screen Time
Screen time should vary depending on your child’s age. Children younger than 2 years old should have no screen time, when possible. For children 5 and under, try to keep screen time under an hour per day. Encourage your older kids, who might need screen time to study and do homework, to take frequent breaks and to socialize with friends in person.
Keeping screen time down can help slow or stop the onset and progression of myopia (nearsightedness) in kids. It can also encourage them to spend more time outdoors, which can further promote eye health.
Eye Safety Tip #4: Don’t Skip Their Eye Exams
Eye exams are an essential part of your child’s short- and long-term eye health. Along with ensuring that their vision is clear, we also make sure that they have all the visual skills they need to thrive in school and extracurricular activities. If your child is experiencing difficulties with their vision or visual skills, the earlier we detect these issues, the more likely we can successfully treat them.
Want to know more about keeping your child’s eyes healthy, and how we can help? Contact our Brampton West eye doctors at Westpoint Optical today!
Q&A
How do I know if my eye is damaged by a BB gun or other device?
If you’ve been hit in the eye by a projectile from a toy gun of any kind, the following symptoms may indicate you’ve sustained an injury:
- Blurry or fuzzy vision
- Seeing black spots in your vision
- Seeing flashes of light
- Blood spots in your eye, indicating active bleeding
- Painful vision
These symptoms can indicate a potential emergency, such as a detached retina. You should seek immediate medical attention to prevent long-term vision loss.
Is a school vision screening enough to ensure my child can see well in school?
No. While school vision screenings can tell if your child’s vision is less than 20/20, there isn’t much else it can detect. In order to ensure that your child has mastered essential visual skills such as eye tracking, convergence/divergence, and visual focus, a comprehensive eye exam with a qualified eye doctor is necessary.