Be careful with the visual health of children. Be alert for signs!
The firm Ópticas Lafam announced that the integral development of children depends to a large extent on an optimal visual capacity. That is why you should be alert to signs that may indicate the presence of visual problems in your children.
These are some of those signs that will help detect possible difficulties in children's vision:
- He suffers from any type of discomfort in the eyes
- It is difficult for him to adapt to the darkness
- He has poor school performance compared to the effort he makes
- Holds books closely during reading
- Tilt your head after reading, working on the computer or watching TV
- It is very close to television
- He has short attention spans for his age
- Has coordination problems in ball games or when riding a bicycle
Dr. Yesmid Piraquive , optometrist and medical services manager, said that "a good way to detect these possible visual difficulties is through the game.
They can be taught to watch, playing to see from afar, to see the horizon, to look at a medium distance and then to a closer one, so that their little eyes get used to any kind of distance ".
Other exercises to strengthen the eyes of small children consist of turning them without moving their heads, winking alternately, cover one eye and then the other to see if they see a specific object as well.
Tips to take care of children's visual health:
1. Check with the optometrist every year even more if there is a family history of diseases of the vision such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism or strabismus.
2. Outdoor activities because sunlight is good for the development of the eyes.
3. Children should not spend more than two hours a day in front of screens (television, computer, tablet, video games) and at a minimum distance of 2 meters. The extra hours before TV diminish their capacity for attention and language development.
4. Protection from the sun's rays. The eyes of children are 3 times more sensitive than those of adults. His pupils are larger and his lens more transparent.
5. Correct body position when doing homework or at home. If you are facing the computer, the distance should be 50 cm and keep your eyes slightly above half the height of the screen.
6. Take breaks of 20 seconds, every 20 minutes of work, observing something more or less at 6 meters away.
7. Good light in the place where you are working or playing to avoid straining your eyes.
8. When a child has problems with hyperactivity, coloring out of line or showing symptoms of attention deficit, first of all, we must rule out that these difficulties are not caused by a visual problem.
9. When they are already in primary school, if they show low school performance, one must be alert to symptoms that are related to a visual problem such as headaches, burning or stinging of the eyes, slow or guided reading with the finger, jumps of words or lack of concentration.
10. It is important to teach children to take care of their visual health and their glasses, if they use them. They must also learn to detect and report changes in their vision.
