Smartphones, tablets, laptops and computers are our children’s best friends. It can be difficult to ask them to put these devices down for a long time and if you do not monitor them regularly, they will definitely be stuck looking at their devices nonstop for an entire day.
Kids are doing online home based learning
With the COVID-19 virus causing schools to shut down and go digital for their classes, it gives our children more reasons to be in constant exposure to devices. However, letting them do their classes online and use their gadgets without breaks can be dangerous, especially for their eyes.
It may lead to eyesight deterioration and even eye infections.
Simple Eye Care Tips
To help your children take care of their eyes, here are some simple eye care tips that you can teach them to follow:
Teach them to resist the urge to rub their eyes
The first sign your child should always take note of is when they get an urge to rub their eyes. When this happens, it is likely that their eyes are starting to get irritated because of blue light exposure and other elements.
Rubbing your eyes when your eyes are irritated is actually dangerous because it can only irritate your eyes further. Additional problems can also happen if your child doesn’t have clean hands when they rub their eyes.
Teach them to resist the urge to rub their eyes when it gets irritated and use clean water and hands to remove the cause of the irritation properly.
Time their exposure to their gadgets
It is unavoidable to be away from gadgets for a long time, especially now that our children are using the internet to catch up with their classes. However, prolonged exposure to these devices can cause their eyesight to weaken and start having eyesight problems.
Schedule when they can use their gadgets and get them once their time is up. There are several apps like the ones mentioned here that can help you lock your child’s gadgets to control their screen time.
Teach them the right distance they should be in while using their devices
Our children can spend a lot of time in front of the computer or the television. However, watching shows for a long time and at a close distance from the screen can cause eyesight problems in the long run.
Before your child uses their devices, make sure that they are within a safe distance from the screen and have the lights turned on so it won’t cause eye strain.
Tell them to rest themselves and their eyes properly
Most of us don’t really pay extra attention to our eyes because we don’t really know when it’s time to take a break.
Our tutors online will consistently remind our students to take a break when they have been staring at the screen for too long. As we know for young children, looking at their devices for a long time and doing other things can cause eye stress and affect their eyesight.
When they are done with their devices, get them to do things that won’t require their eyes to focus and tell them to sleep. This will help their eyes rest and help it recover from the day’s activity.
Always get their eyes checked
It is difficult to say when your eyes need to get medical attention without looking at it closely.
If your child suddenly complains about their eyesight, bring them to an optometrist so they can do the right action to help your child.
9 Food to Boost Eye Health
Aside from these simple eye care tips, you can also help your child improve their eye health by feeding them food that contains the right vitamins and minerals. Here are some of the foods you can include in their diet:
1) Salmon
Salmon has high omega-3 fatty acid content, which can help the body in several ways. For the eyes, the fatty acids can protect your child’s retina from inflammation caused by infections. Do you know salmon is one of the brain foods too? Check out the rest of the brain foods here.
2) Carrot
Carrots are often associated with eye health thanks to its Vitamin A content. Vitamin A can help improve eye health, protect it from infections and even help with one’s night vision capabilities,
3) Leafy Green Vegetables
Leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale are also good for the eyes because of their zeaxanthin and lutein content. These nutrients can protect one’s eyesight and improve it if it is regularly eaten. It also cleans the eyes of radicals which can trigger cataracts.
4) Berries
Berries have high Vitamin C levels which can help your body become stronger and improve its iron absorption capacity.
For the eyes, it can help stop cataracts. Berries also have catechins, a type of antioxidant that can improve the eye’s retinal tissue functions.
5) Avocado
Avocados are said to have high levels of lutein, a special nutrient that can help preserve and improve one’s eyesight. No other fruits and vegetables have its lutein content, which makes it ideal if you want your child to have a healthy eyesight. Not to mention that it is one of the food that helps to fight off exam stress, here are the rest on this list.
Aside from lutein, avocados also have Vitamin E and healthy fatty acid content which can help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration.
6) Nuts
Certain types of nuts like walnuts and almonds have high levels of Vitamin E, which can help protect your child’s eyesight and prevent it from dimming down.
There are also studies that show children who regularly eat nuts have lesser risks of contracting myopia.
7) Eggs
While some say it is a very simple food with little health benefits, eggs can actually help with your child’s eyesight.
The yolk, in particular, has a lot of nutrients that can strengthen the retina.
8) Capsicums
Aside from carrots, capsicums have high levels of Vitamin A which prevents eye complications and helps with eye health. They are great for increasing immunity in young bodies among the other food we listed here.
9) Wolfberries
Wolfberries are another example of eye superfoods that you should include in your child’s diet. It is considered a natural remedy for eye problems thanks to its Vitamin B and C content, as well as its linoleic acid and beta-carotene levels.
Conclusion
Our eyes are very important and losing our eyesight can be hard to deal with, especially now that everything we need to learn is presented visually. Teach your child these basic tips and assist them with the right foods that will help with their eye health.
For more tips on how to take precaution during this pandemic, check out these articles:
A Stronger Immunity to Fight Wuhan Coronavirus Covid-19: 6 Natural Ways To Boost Your Child’s Immune System
Will Our Children Lose Out on Education due to Covid-19 Circuit Breaker Measures?
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