As parents, one is always concerned about the health of their children. And, with every child being a great deal surrounded and involved with digital gadgets like smartphones, laptops, and televisions today, one increased concern is about their eyes. With the increasing use of such digital screens and computer screens, we see a significant increase in eye discomfort and fatigue too. This makes it even more important for you as a parent, to take complete care of your child’s eyes. Here are some effective eye care tips that can help.
- If your child is really small to understand the risks involved with sharp objects, you need to be extra cautious when you leave them alone. Make sure never to leave them alone with any sharp objects like scissors or knives, and even pencils and sharp edged toys.
- If your little child complaints a lot about frequent headaches or eye pain and irritation, or prefers to sit too close to the blackboard in class, you could be watchful as these may be symptoms of a refractive error that your child is suffering from. It is essential that you identify such a refractive error at the earliest, so that further complications like lazy eye can be avoided.
- If your child has one or both eyes deviated from its central position, he is suffering from squint. You need to have it treated at the earliest too, to avoid problems when he grows up. For this, you’ll need to get in touch with a squint specialist. Depending upon your child’s age, eye condition, and health, the doctor may prescribe him various kinds of treatments like eye exercises, eye patching, or even surgery.
- When you children are playing out in the garden, or even while sleeping indoors, they are likely to be stung by an insect; and if the sting is anywhere near the eyes, it may cause an allergic reaction, which carries a risk of infection. Rush to a doctor immediately in such a case.
- Conjunctivitis is a very contagious eye disease; and when the season is on, children are the most contagious. So, when the season is on, you should avoid sending your child to school for a few days, or at least ask him to be careful. Similarly, if your child has already caught the eye flu, make sure you don’t send him to school as long as he doesn’t recover. After all, as a parent, it is your responsibility to take care of even other children, isn’t it?
These are the very basic and most common eye problems that your child may encounter. But, apart from these, there could be many other problems too. Whatever the problem with the eyes, whether it is redness, itchiness, pain, swelling, dryness, watering, blurriness, or anything else, make sure you take immediate steps to consult an ophthalmologist. If you are a resident of Mumbai, you could book an appointment with Arohi Eye Hospital for any such problems. After all, this is one reputed child eye clinic in Andheri West, where all kinds of problems for both children and adults are treated. In fact, among the team of highly specialized doctors working at the hospital, there is a dedicated pediatric ophthalmologist and strabismus specialist, who can take care of any child-related eye problems perfectly.
Dr. Shradha Goel
Dr. Shradha Goel, Chief Surgeon at Arohi Eye Hospital, is a renowned Phaco-LASIK surgeon with over 10,000 surgeries to her credit. She earned her MBBS from Grant Medical College, Mumbai, and a Master’s in Ophthalmology from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal. As a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Dr. Goel specialises in LASIK, refractive errors, and cataract treatments.