Taking Care of Our Children's Eyes

One of the greatest gifts God gave us is our pair of eyes. We should take care of them. I regret that somehow we fell short of doing this in the lives of our 2 boys. They are now wearing eyeglasses either because of genetics or because of early exposure to the use of computer and Gameboy. But I still thank God because it may not be too late yet for both of them.

My older son, who was diagnosed with astigmatism and hyperopia can still improve his eyes until he no longer needs the aid of the eyeglass. As for the younger one, he was diagnosed with astigmatism and myopia. It's sad that the child ophthalmologist said that he would be wearing eyeglasses forever unless he gets LASIK at age 18. But I'm still hoping and praying that God would heal his eyes. Nothing is impossible to God.



So the important question that needs to be answered is "How can we take care of the eyes of our children?"

1. Make sure that they get ample lighting when they are reading or writing or even playing games. Proper sitting position is also necessary so that their shadow will not block the light.
2. Give them plenty of opportunities to eat healthy foods like carrots, yellow and green leafy vegetables which contain vitamin A that help maintain good eyesight. Omega-3-fatty acids in fish is also said to help our vision.
3. Regulate the use of the television, computer, gaming paraphernalia like PSP and Gameboy. Encourage breaks within 30 minutes so that their eye muscles would have the chance to relax and prevent eyestrain. Proper distance to the television or computer monitor and right picture quality should also be set to the optimum condition for the eyes.
4. Make sure to schedule them to a regular eye check-up. They should have their first eye exam before they go to school unless an eye problem is detected earlier.

If I have any additional good ideas, feel free to share them in your comments. To our child's healthy eyesight!