Every year, around 42,000 people suffer from sports-related eye injuries. Even more staggering than this statistic is the fact that 12 million children are visually impaired from preventable causes, such as these sports injuries. This is just one of the many reasons why Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month this August is so important. Here are a couple problem signs you should look out for in your children’s eye health.
Signs of Eye Problems
Although most children’s eyes tend to be healthy, Health Alliance Plan of Michigan recommends looking out for the following eye problem signs:
- -A wandering eye may be a sign of amblyopia or lazy eye.
- -Crossed eyes suggest your child may be suffering from strabismus.
- -Drooping eyelids could indicate ptosis, a congenital condition.
- -Children struggling to learn or identify colors may be color blind.
- -A lack of enthusiasm about reading, squinting, sitting too close to the television, or turning the head at an angle to view the screen may be symptoms of refractive errors including farsightedness, nearsightedness, or astigmatism.
- -Other warning signs include frequent rubbing of the eyes, tilting the head to look at objects and squeezing the eyes.
If your child displays any of the above symptoms, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor. Treating conditions early can often prevent permanent damage.
Health and Safety Tips
To reduce the risk of an eye injury, Friends for Sight suggests the following safety tips:
- -Only allow children to play with age-appropriate toys that meet the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) safety standards.
- -Ensure your kids always wear protective polycarbonate eyewear when participating in activities and sports that pose a danger to their eyes.
- -In the case your child does suffer an eye injury, make sure your child refrains from touching or rubbing their eye. If the injury is caused by a chemical, flush the eye with water, but do not try to remove debris yourself. Lastly, seek medical attention before applying medication, warns the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
You can keep your children’s eyes safe from injuries as well as damaging sun rays with a pair of protective sunglasses. All our shades at Real Kids have 100 percent UVA and UVB protection along with shatterproof polycarbonate lenses. Contact us to find out more information about our collection.