Healthy Vision

Articles

Aug 1

Our eyes are such a vital part of our body and for children, maintaining healthy vision and addressing issues as they arise is key. Eye exams are a normal and necessary part of your child’s life. If eye disease or vision problems are found early, there is a higher chance of solving the problem before it causes vision to worsen. Optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians all aid in helping your family maintain healthy vision.

Regular Check-Ups

Eye exams should begin during infancy by your family’s healthcare provider. A baby’s general eye health can be measured by a simple eye exam. It is especially important for premature babies or those with a family history of eye irregularities to begin eye exams as soon as possible. As children grow, they will need to begin vision exams as well to measure how sharp their sight is and address any existing problems or degeneration. If your child requires prescription lenses, an annual checkup and eye exam are typical.

Signals of Eye Issues

It can be difficult for some children to describe what they are seeing or know that their vision has worsened. There are some signals to look out for that can help you identify vision problems. If your child is constantly rubbing their eyes, is sensitive to light, or often has red eyes, these can be physical signs that your child may have trouble with their vision. You can also be mindful of how well their eye tracks a moving object. If they are unable to follow the object in motion, such as a pencil moving from one side to the other, it may be an indicator of vision impairment. Other more obvious signals that your child’s vision is impaired may be squinting their eyes, sitting very close to the television when watching, or having trouble reading from a distance.

Visual Processing & Handwriting

Like so many other skills, children learn how to write through repetition and copying what others show them. Anyone who is engaging in teaching children handwriting should make sure to emphasize that letters are just combinations of shapes like lines and curves that can be combined to make the letter they are learning. Once children have learned to make letters, they can start putting them together as words and sentences. Guided tracing worksheets can help make the beginning writing process easier for young ones.

Many skills fall under the visual processing title, skills that help children to write eligibly.

Visual Memory: copying written work from a memory of having done it in the past.
Visual Sequencing: being able to see words and letters in a specific order.
Visual Motor: being to rearrange the order of sentence formation. Learning how to move words around with their hands to see how words can connect.
Figure Ground: being able to copy information from text.
Visual Responsiveness: response time to different stimuli.
Visual Discrimination: noticing differences in word and letter shapes.
Visual Spacing Relations: being able to understand spacing between letters and words.

All of these responses can be witnessed and taught within the classroom setting with patience and understanding of the child’s learning styles.

Hand-Eye Coordination

Hand-eye coordination is essential in learning how to write. It’s one of the most important tools because it helps your children keep track of their hand movements with their eyes. This process works by the stimuli sent from the eyes to the brain triggering a response by the hands to write accordingly. Hand-eye coordination also utilizes the sensory-motor functions, vestibular and proprioception which means when a child’s having issues with their hand-eye coordination they may have issues in a lot of other ways. Hand-eye coordination issues impair the child’s balance, hand movements, handwriting, and ability to play sports and hobbies.

Strabismus (Crossed-Eyes)

Strabismus is the misalignment of the eyes and is one of the most common eye problems in children. Strabismus affects 4% of children under the age of 6. The eyes may move inward, outward, up, or down and many times the eyes can move in several of the aforementioned directions. Strabismus is formed by the failure of the eye muscles to work cohesively. Since the brain controls the eye muscles, if children have brain disorders they are likely to also develop Strabismus. Strabismus may also occur later in life following an eye injury or cataract.

Vision & Focus Problems

A child with 20/20 vision is able to subconsciously use their visual system to work together to be able to see far and nearsighted. There are several types of dysfunctions that disrupt the eyes from working this way and cause eye problems for young ones. An Accommodative Dysfunction affects how your eyes change focus from near too far. A Vergence dysfunction impacts your eye muscles making it so that the muscles have a hard time changing focus. Our eye muscles work by contracting inwards while looking down to read things and outward to view things in the distance. A “Vergence” describes the convergence (turning inwards) or divergence (turning outwards) of the eye muscles. These dysfunctions get looked at together because the brain links the eye muscles together which may cause any of these issues.

Kids experiencing an Accommodative or Vergence Dysfunction may experience any of the following symptoms:

Headache
Motion sickness
Double vision
Blurred vision
Lack of concentration
Fatigue
Ocular discomfort

Children may be wrongly diagnosed with ADHD, dyslexia, ADD, or other cognition issues before considering that there may be a vision impairment. If a child quits doing a learning activity altogether it may be a sure sign that they have a vision issue. It’s important to check your children’s eyes when considering a learning disorder so that they can be correctly diagnosed.

Amblyopia

Amblyopia is a condition where the brain and eye muscles are not working together as they should. Kids with Amblyopia can often develop poor vision in one or both eyes and is easy to miss if the child isn’t sharing that they are having vision issues or they don’t realize they are. Amblyopia can resolve as easily as going to the eye doctor and getting prescriptive lenses that can help strengthen the eyes. It can cause far or nearsightedness or astigmatisms. Amblyopia may also accompany Strabismus, cataracts, droopy eyelids, or other issues that block vision.

Most times you can recognize when a child is Amblyopia because they will be squinting, tilting their heads to see things better, or have crossed eyes. Sometimes with Amblyopia, Anisometropia can happen, which means one eye can see better than the other. Glasses, eye patches, and Atropine drops (eye drops that blur vision in one eye sending signals to the brain for the other one to become more active) have been proven to help children diagnosed with Amblyopia. In more severe cases, where a cataract or a droopy eye is involved, surgery is an option. Since kids reach visual maturity around age 8, this is a good time to take them to the eye doctor so you know how strong their vision is.

Myopia (Short-Sighted)

Myopia, also known as short-sightedness, affects the clarity of anything someone is looking at from a distance. Myopia is extremely common, 30% of the U.S. population is diagnosed with Myopia. Myopia is a hereditary issue that starts around the age of 4 and plateaus around age 20. It can worsen throughout the teenage years which means prescriptions can change more rapidly during this time. If your child is doing any activities such as squinting at things in the distance, sitting close to the TV, holding books or devices close to their face, or sitting in the front of the classroom, they may need to go to the eye doctor.

Myopia usually only worsens for about 10% of the people who have it, which can result in full vision loss over time. Myopia should be treated as soon as possible as it can increase the likelihood of getting further eye diseases later in life. Myopia has become extremely likely for children nowadays. In Asia, almost 90% of children are diagnosed with Myopia and in the US it is predicted that from 2020 to 2050 the number of kids with Myopia will jump from 39 to 45 million.

Hyperopia (Long-Sighted)

Hyperopia or long-sighted vision causes near images to appear blurry. Someone with Hyperopia’s eyes will focus more on something behind the retina instead of on the retina which is what causes the blurriness. Hyperopia is less common than Myopia, with 13% of children being diagnosed. Hyperopia can most of the time be treated with corrective prescription lenses or contacts. The eyeball of someone with Hyperopia may have a shorter eyeball, less curved cornea, or a thinner lens. Hyperopia is passed down through genetics. Children with Hyperopia may strain their eyes, have difficulty reading, get headaches, hold books and things further away to see them as well as turn their eyes inward when attempting to focus. Accommodative Esotropia is the technical term for crossed eyes which is possible for people with Hyperopia also. A full vision exam is usually needed to identify if a child has Hyperopia but once it is prescriptive lenses, contacts, or laser eye surgery usually can prevent further issues.

Keeping Our Eyes Healthy

There are many factors that are involved in maintaining eye health, from what you eat to your lifestyle choices.

Diet & Nutrition

Like so many other functions of the body, one of the most important factors to maintain eye health is to eat a healthy diet. Certain foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty aides, zinc, or vitamin C can help you maintain better vision as you age. You can incorporate leafy greens, fish, nuts, beans, eggs, citrus fruit, and more into your diet to help you stay balanced.

Protect Your Eyes

The sun can do considerable damage to your eyes over prolonged periods of time. If you are often outside, it is smart to wear sunglasses during the day to protect your eyes from UV rays. Macular degeneration and cataracts are often due to too much exposure to the sun without eye protection. Although riding or driving in the car may not require sunglasses, it can be of great benefit for your eye health over time. The same goes for safety glasses if your child plays sports or is at risk of a physical eye injury.

Wear Your Prescription

Sometimes children have trouble getting into the idea of wearing glasses if they are required. To help them have a positive association with their glasses, let them choose the frames or add fun accessories. It is important to always wear glasses when prescribed so your eyes are not straining and continuing to worsen your vision. Start an early practice of good hygiene with your child’s glasses or contacts. Help them learn how to keep the lenses clean and free of vision-blocking smears or smudges as well as how to keep them protected.

Limit Screen Time

While looking at a phone, tablet, or computer screen our eyes can often become strained. There are many reasons to limit screen time for a healthier life, but in relation to your eyes, it is important so you do not develop issues like dry eyes, blurry vision, or headaches. When looking at a screen, your body’s position matters a lot. Try to position the screen so your eyes are slightly looking down at it instead of up or straight forward. Use screen films to reduce any glare that might bother your eyes while using the computer or phone. Another important thing to remember is to take breaks from the screen. If your child is participating in virtual learning, make sure they are able to rest their eyes every 20 minutes or so. Looking out a window or at least 20 feet ahead is a great way to help your eyes adjust after looking at a screen for a prolonged period of time.

Stay Active

Exercise is important for our overall health and ensuring your child is regularly getting physical activity can help prevent issues from developing later in life. Those who live a fairly sedentary lifestyle are more likely to develop diseases like diabetes, which can cause blindness or other conditions which affect your vision.

Good vision can have a major effect on your child’s life. It can lead to successes or failures in school, in sports, or in other physical activities, and contribute to their overall health. The most important ways you can be mindful of eye health is to get eye screening regularly and to protect your vision from the risk of injury. Talk to your children about their vision and what they are able to see. Creating open communication will help them identify abnormalities or realize a vision change if they experience it.

Therapists can help your child adjust and adapt if they are experiencing vision impairment. Occupational therapists can address your setup at home to determine the best way your child can reach their maximum level of independence.