If your child is constantly rubbing their eyes, complaining about blurry vision, or seeing double, you should take them for an eye examination immediately as their eyes may be injured. While waiting for the appointment, apply a cold cloth to the child’s eyes for about 15 minutes every hour.
6 Ways to Care for and Protect Your Child’s Vision
1. Ensure your child receives enough Vitamin A, especially from ripe bananas. Specifically: 400 mcg/day for children under 3 years old, 500 mcg/day for those aged 4 to 6, and 700-800 mcg/day for children aged 7 to 10.
2. Engage your child in games or activities that stimulate visual development and enhance coordination between the eyes and other body parts.
3. Teach your child to study or play in well-lit areas and within a “safe viewing” range of 20 cm to 30 cm.
4. Have your child wear quality sunglasses outdoors to protect against infrared and ultraviolet rays (especially between 10 AM and 3 PM).
5. Equip your child with necessary protective gear when participating in sports activities.
6. Regularly take your child for eye check-ups.
6 Activities to Promote Vision Development in Children
For children aged 5 months to 3 years:
1. Encourage your child to crawl around the bed or floor to develop hand-eye coordination skills.
2. Combine talking or “teasing” your child while moving around the room to encourage their eyes to follow your movement.
3. Present toys in front of your child for them to grasp and “explore” on their own.
For children aged 4 and older, continue to develop their vision through activities that strengthen motor nerves and hand-eye coordination skills:
4. Play games like stacking or connecting shapes, puzzles, stringing beads, or matching objects on a board…
5. Regularly encourage your child to draw simple objects around them.
6. Enhance your child’s observation skills by guiding them to mold shapes (using clay) according to a template.
3 Steps to Take if Your Child’s Eyes Are Injured
1. If a chemical splashes into your child’s eye and you are unsure of what it is or whether it contains alkali, continuously “rinse” the child’s eye for at least 20 minutes and take them to a medical center immediately for treatment.
2. While playing, if your child accidentally pokes their eye with their fingers or a blunt object, you must check carefully. If you see blood or if the child cannot open their eye, seek medical assistance immediately.
3. If your child is pierced by a sharp object that remains lodged in their eye, do not press the eyelids to remove it. Remain calm, keep the child still, and take them to a medical center right away.
