August is Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month: the perfect reminder for parents to schedule kids’ eye exams and visits. Assessing your child’s vision every year is important, as kids often won’t know if they have vision problems or need glasses. Keeping up with yearly eye checkups is an overall part of health and wellness.

Why Children’s Eye Health Is Important

School Performance

A child may not be aware that they are squinting or that they need glasses. Children who are struggling to see may have issues with attention span, staying on task, comprehension, fatigue or headaches, and may exhibit the symptoms of attention deficit disorder. Behavior and performance issues are often simply corrected with prescription glasses.

Athletics

Poor coordination is often a sign of vision issues. If your child struggles with balance, playing basic sports, or has many trips and falls, you may want to have their eyes examined. Being able to play and compete in athletics with friends boosts health and self-esteem. Consider safety glasses for high impact sports to protect the eyes.

Prevention

Yearly eye exams will aid in the early detection of eye disease and diagnose refractive errors, such as nearsightedness. If there is a family history of vision issues, preventive exams are especially important. Eye exams can also detect and address problems with eye tracking, teaming, and visual perception, which are all crucial for learning.

Glasses 

If your child does need glasses, help them to accept this big change in their life by making the wearing of glasses normal and fun. Let them pick their frames and teach them how to clean and take care of the glasses. Prepare kids for any teasing at school, and point out friends, family members, or their favorite movie or book characters that wear glasses to help them feel good about the change. Integrate wearing their new eyeglasses into their routine with positive reinforcement and rewards for using them properly. 

Children’s eye health is a vital component of overall wellness. If your child needs glasses, Cook Inlet Eyewear in Anchorage, AK, has a fantastic selection of frames to fit all ages and personality styles. Their expert opticians will find the perfect frames for your child. They also offer contact lenses. Call (907) 276-1021 for an appointment, walk-in to view the largest selection of children’s eyewear in Alaska, or go to their website for more information about their services.