Start early for lifelong good sight

If your mother told you to eat carrots so you'd be able to see in the dark, she was right.

It turns out that feeding kids carrots is just one of a number of things parents can do to promote a lifetime of healthy eyes and good vision.

Other things include regular eye exams, and sunglasses or hats to shade kids' eyes, experts say.

While eye disease and the need for vision correction are sometimes hereditary, and some eye diseases are congenital, some issues are preventable, said Dr Ron Weber, an Atlanta ophthalmologist.

For example, myopia, or nearsightedness, "not only has a genetic component but is also influenced by how kids use their eyes during childhood," he said.

Extended close work, such as reading, has long been suspected to cause nearsightedness. Recent support for the link has come from a study that showed people with a higher level of education were more likely to have myopia, purportedly because they spend more time reading or working on computers.

Another study showed that children who spend more time outdoors are less likely to become myopic.

But these findings do not mean kids should be discouraged from reading or working on the computer. Instead, Weber suggests, make sure a child's environment is well-lit while they are doing close work.

Parents should also help kids get into the habit of holding their reading material at the optimal distance - about 45 to 56 centimeters, he said. Finally, taking a break every five minutes or so, to let the eyes relax and focus on an object in the distance, will also help.

One of the most important things a parent can do to help head off eye disease and vision problems is to make sure their child has regular eye exams, beginning early in life.

Dr Ida Chung, president of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, said: "The majority of vision problems in children are preventable and treatable.

"Eye conditions, whether hereditary or not, can best be managed by having the child receive their first eye examination as early as possible."

Chung recommends that children have their first eye exam before turning one.

Children should also be tested for visual skills before starting school - not just sight, but how eyes track, depth perception, 3D vision, and sustained focusing.

"If a child is found to have deficient visual skills, treatment with optometric vision therapy can result in dramatic improvements in a child's visual comfort," Chung said.

Finally, many parents don't think about putting sunglasses on their kids, but experts say it should be as second nature as other sun protection.

Weber said, "If your kid is in a situation where you're putting sunscreen on their skin, that should prompt you to also put a hat on to shade their eyes, and maybe sunglasses."

(China Daily 09/24/2014 page10)