4 Tips for Healthy Children's Eyes

Best protection for children's eyes

We protect our kids with bike helmets, sunscreen, knee pads, stair gates and BPA-free water bottles. It sometimes raises the question of whether we're being overprotective, while others argue that in today's world, protecting children from every possible danger is simply responsible parenting. Breathable baby mattresses, monitoring cameras, or GPS trackers built into kids' watches... for some parents these feel like a logical next step, while others see them as classic signs of helicopter parenting. Opinions on this vary widely across cultures and countries. In the Netherlands, a nation of cyclists, many children ride without helmets, while in France, helmets are mandatory for children on bikes. In Germany, too, there's currently no legal requirement to wear a bike helmet, including for children, which leaves many parents baffled and leads them to put helmets on their kids anyway, regulation or not.

When it comes to eye protection, however, awareness still lags behind. Sunglasses for young and preschool-age children often don't meet the necessary safety standards, and many parents simply don't realise how dangerous UV rays can be for children's eyes. How parents choose to handle this is up to them, but they should at least be aware of the risks. Opticians play an important role in guiding that decision.

4 tips for healthy children's eyes

1. Limit screen time
   Hours spent staring at gaming consoles or smartphone screens have been shown to increase the risk of developing nearsightedness. While looking at a screen, children's eyes stay focused mainly on close-up objects. Because of the lack of accommodation and the constant near-focus, the eyeball grows longer (meaning the eye muscle elongates). The result is that distance vision gets worse and far-away objects appear blurry. High myopia levels in childhood (-6 diopters or more) increase the risk of developing an eye disease later in life. One in three children with severe nearsightedness will go on to develop serious vision impairment or eye disease later in life. That risk can be reduced, however, by following the 20-2-20 rule: after 20 minutes of screen time, children should take a 2-minute break and look at objects at least 20 metres away.
   
   
2. Play outside!
   When playing outdoors, the eye constantly shifts focus between near and far, keeping the eye muscles active. Experts recommend that children spend at least 2 hours outside in the fresh air every day. That can include the walk or bike ride to school, or free play during recess.
   
   
3. Protection from harmful UV rays
   Because of their initially lower pigmentation, young children's eyes, unlike adults', are especially vulnerable to harmful UV radiation. Constant sun exposure without protection can therefore cause lasting damage to sensitive children's eyes. That makes proper protection through good sunglasses, plus a sun hat, essential. Good sunglasses with category 3 lenses provide 100% protection from UV radiation and fit a child's head perfectly. Ideally, look for wide temples for the youngest kids, and of course frames free from toxic chemicals as well as BPA (bisphenol) and other plasticisers.
   
   
4. Sturdy and safe glasses
   Children should be free to play however they like, worry-free, whether they wear glasses or not. For glasses, that means: they need to be sturdy and durable enough to keep up with every childhood activity, from running and jumping to roughhousing and play-fighting. For school sports in particular, specially designed sports glasses can be a great alternative, since they need to meet even stricter standards for ball games or collisions.