Back-to-school time: Don't forget your child's vision

The first day of the 2018-2019 school year is just around the corner and Danny Ngo, OD, an optometrist at the Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center, wants to encourage parents to add their child’s vision health to their back-to-school checklist.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 15 percent of preschool children get an eye exam and less than 22 percent receive vision screening.

Good vision is essential for a student’s academic success, physical development and overall well-being. When a child is having vision problems, he or she is more likely to have trouble concentrating, issues completing schoolwork, and may suffer headaches that can also impact mood.

Many vision problems have no obvious symptoms or signs. Furthermore, children often are not able to articulate that they are having vision problems, even if they exist. So, no matter the child’s age, it’s important for parents to take notice of possible issues. Here are some tips to help parents spot eye problems in children:

• Frequent squinting
• Looking out one eye
• Tilting head to one side to see
• Frequent headaches
• Eye turning in or out, or “lazy” eye
• Holding reading materials too close to face
• Losing their place when reading
• Avoids reading or has difficulty reading

Fortunately, there are many things parents can do to help protect their child’s vision health:

• Children, teens, even toddlers, should wear sun glasses with UVA/UVB protection.
• Make sure they are not looking too closely at the TV or mobile screens.
• Blink often to refresh eyes and take regular breaks from the computer screen. Limit leisure screen time to no more than 60 minutes a day.
• Ensure good lighting for close-up work.
• Prevent eye strain by teaching the 20-20-20 vision rule: Every 20 minutes look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Boost their eye health with nutrition. Eat green veggies like broccoli, kale and spinach. Blueberries and cantaloupe can help keep the retina healthy, and fish and omega 3s can help dry eyes.
• If your child is active in sports, consult with an optometrist about protective eyewear such as goggles.
• If your teen wears contact lenses, make sure he or she keeps them clean and takes them off every night. Follow your eye care provider’s instruction on when to dispose of contacts. Most contact lenses are disposed daily, biweekly, or monthly.

Remember that your child’s vision is an important developmental tool. Talk to your child’s pediatrician about his or her vision health. To learn more about your child’s vision health, please visit kp.org.