Things to Do to Protect Children's Eye Health

From Memorial Şişli Hospital Eye Center, Prof. Dr. Abdullah Özkaya gave information about the importance of routine eye examinations and eye health in children during the school period.

Pointing out that the protection of eye health in children, its relations with the environment, and the increase in school success, Prof. Dr. Özkaya stated that the treatments performed together with comprehensive eye examinations in the studies carried out increase the school success and self-confidence of the children.

Healthy vision is important for a child's learning ability

prof. Dr. Özkaya, referring to the fact that the act of seeing is an important element for children to perceive the world easily, said, “At the same time, it makes significant contributions to their development. Children learn many things in life by seeing. If a child has an untreated vision problem, this affects their ability to reach their full potential in learning. For this reason, it is very important to have routine eye examinations and to protect eye health. said.

Vision problems affect school success and self-esteem

Stating that children's vision can change as they grow, Pro said. Dr. Özkaya said, “Usually, pediatricians can make a general assessment of children's vision levels at regular check-ups, and when they notice a problem with it, they can refer them to an ophthalmologist for a comprehensive eye screening. If children have a vision problem, it negatively affects their school performance. In this case, they may have difficulty in recognizing and reading written letters and words. With a comprehensive eye examination and subsequent treatment, children improve in school success and self-confidence.” used his statements.

prof. Dr. Özkaya listed the common vision problems in children as follows:

"1-Breaking defects: Myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism are among the refractive errors. Children who do not start treatment may have blurred vision, may not recognize letters, and may have difficulty reading.

2-Lazy eye: It occurs when vision in one eye is reduced due to a communication error between the brain and the eye. While vision becomes difficult in the lazy eye, there may be fatigue in the healthy eye.

3- Strabismus: One or both eyes may be affected. If a child has strabismus, the eyes cannot focus on an object and the eyes have trouble maintaining the correct position.

Things to do to protect children's eye health

prof. Dr. Özkaya listed 6 steps to be taken to protect children's eye health as follows:

“1-Get good nutrition: Following a healthy eating plan rich in fruits and vegetables can help protect your child's eye health. Fruits and vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals that are essential for maintaining healthy eyes and vision. As an example, it is important for families to have a healthy diet.

2-Start the screen diet: Screen exposure adversely affects vision health. Children can only use screen for one or two hours a day. Restricting their screen time has positive effects on their visual health. In addition, they should be provided with frequent breaks in activities such as reading, writing and drawing.

3-Make sure they get enough sleep: While you sleep, the body heals and recharges. This includes the eyes. Not getting enough sleep causes the child's eyes not to rest. This adversely affects vision health.

4-Spend time outside: Many children spend hours each day doing near vision activities. Like other muscles in the body, the eye muscles need time to relax. Going outside makes your eyes look at distant objects, which protects the eyes from fatigue. Playing outdoors also helps children stay physically active, get necessary vitamin D from the sun, and develop social skills.

5-Get sunglasses: While children spend time outside, it is necessary to protect their eyes from the sun. For this reason, it is appropriate to buy sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection for children.

6-Have regular eye examination: Regular eye exams are very important in children. In this way, if there is a change in vision health, treatment is sought quickly.”