Seeing is believing: It’s Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month

August brings us Children's Eye Health and Safety Month, an important date to mark on your family's health calendar. Best estimates tell us that more than 12 million children in this country suffer from some sort of vision impairment. Not that this is always an easy figure to determine -- let's face it, kids can go quite a while, even into their school years, before vision problems are determined. That's why regular eye exams and screenings are so important.

Eye exams should be as normal a part of your child's checkup regimen as vaccinations or knee-knocking with the little mallet to check reflexes. It isn't just near-sighted/far-sighted that is to be determined. There are numerous conditions that can affect children's eyes: lazy eye, astigmatism, even color-blindness. And our own naked eye test isn't enough to diagnose these for a child; like most health matters, we need to seek the professionals.

Then, there is the matter of injury. Kids are prone to scrapes and bruises, in case that's news to anyone. Generally, one can rub on a little Bactine, slap on a Band-Aid and get the kid back in the game. But eyes are fragile, not so easily healed, and your child only has the one pair. So, safety first! Protective eye wear is a must, particularly in any sport involving flying projectiles, ricocheting balls, etc. Also, be sure your kid is playing with age-appropriate toys. A toddler, for instance, often lacks the necessary control and coordination to play safely with a toy that has sharp edges or pointy tips.

Along those same lines, Scrubin wants to bring up Contact Lens Health Week, Aug. 22-26. This one has a dear place in our hearts, as many of us have worn corrective lenses since pre-adolescence. In fact, some of us remember when there was an actual choice between soft lenses and hard (read: putting glass in your eye, voluntarily!).

Fortunately, there have been considerable advancements in contact-lens technology over the years, but it is still up to the wearer to diligently maintain good and sanitary practices. Clean your lenses regularly with the proper solution. Take them out every night at bedtime, even if they are disposable. And remember, the term disposable means disposable: Such lenses are not to be worn indefinitely. After the allotted time, be that daily, weekly or monthly, ditch that pair and replace with new ones. 

These are easy enough routines, but particularly with children can be easy things to let slip. So work with your kids on good eye health the way you do on brushing of teeth: a part of the daily/nightly ritual one shouldn't forsake.
So, schedule regular eye exams for your kids. Insure they wear protective eyewear in sports and play. And, if they wear contacts, teach them the proper methods of care and cleaning. Their sparkling eyes will thank you!