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Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month: What PCPs need to know
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According to the organization Friends for Sight, thousands of children experience an eye injury annually, but 90% of these mishaps can be prevented by wearing suitable protective eyewear.
August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month. In conjunction with this annual event, Healio Family Medicine asked Robert S. Gold, MD, FAAP, of Eye Physicians of Central Florida, for some tips that primary care physicians can pass along to their younger patients and these patients’ parents, that would benefit eye health.
Wear sunglasses
It is always a good idea to wear sunglasses when outside and the preferred type has 100% UVA and UVB protection. It does not matter what your age is, this is an important step towards good eye health. During the summer months, this is even more important: Along with the temperature increases, the sun's rays are more powerful and can cause increased light sensitivity, which can be alleviated with the right type of sunglass eye protection. As we get older, sun exposure can lead to cataracts so it is good to start early to try to minimize the risks.
Protect the eyes while playing sports, swimming
It is extremely important to protect your eyes while playing sports. In particular, baseball, tennis, basketball and others can lead to traumatic events that can lead to damage of the eyes, sometimes so severe that vision can be permanently compromised. Children often resist this important step in good eye care and health and it is very disheartening when we get emergency calls about traumatic incidents to the eyes that can lead to catastrophic consequences in eyesight.
Swim goggles are always a good idea for protection but for also minimizing irritation from the chlorine in pool water or the salt water of the ocean. In addition, sunscreen is used very frequently and care should be taken not to get it in the eyes. If it does, prompt irrigation is a must or this can lead to a chemical conjunctivitis or corneal abrasion necessitating a trip to the eye doctor.
Be rati onal when using smartphones or electronic devices
Common sense is the best recommendation when it comes to the use of iPads, tablets and smartphones as well as to computers. These devices are part of everyone's daily lives and it is advisable not to over utilize them. More and more schools are requiring iPads and computers to be used for routine school work and parents should monitor the amount of time that their children use these devices. Just like it is never a good idea to watch television for hours on end, the same applies to these devices.
Eating better foods equal better eye health
A good diet is important for general health and when the entire body is healthy, the eye is part of the plan. The old adage of eating carrots is still important today for vitamin A as an important source of eye health. Leafy greens and eggs have lutein which is more important as we get older in preventing cataract and macular degeneration as do citrus and berries with their vitamin C in preventing the same diseases.
Disclosure: Gold is the pediatrics editor for the Healio publication Ocular Surgery News.