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When should children get their eyes tested?

5/23/2014

Healthy eyes and vision are a critical part of kids' development. Their eyes should be examined regularly, as many vision problems and eye diseases can be detected and treated early.

When should your children have their eyes tested?

Newborns should be checked for general eye health by a pediatrician or family physician in the hospital nursery.

At about 3.5 years kids should undergo eye health screenings and visual acuity tests with their family doctor.

If there are no symptoms of vision problems before, around age 5 kids should have their vision and eye alignment evaluated by an optometrist.

Children who are prescribed vision correction lenses should visit their optometrist annually.

Spotting Eye Problems Early

Signs that a child may have vision problems include:

constant eye rubbing
extreme light sensitivity
poor focusing
poor visual tracking (following an object)
abnormal alignment or movement of the eyes (after 6 months of age)
chronic redness of the eyes
chronic tearing of the eyes
a white pupil instead of black

In school-age children, watch for other signs such as:

inability to see objects at a distance
inability to read the blackboard
squinting
difficulty reading
sitting too close to the TV

Watch your child for evidence of poor vision or crossed eyes. If you notice any eye problems, have your child examined immediately so that the problem doesn't become permanent.

If caught early, eye conditions often can be reversed.

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A Daily Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Bad Eyes

5/9/2014

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Coffee drinkers, rejoice! Aside from the energy jolt you'll receive from coffee, food scientists say you may reap another health benefit from a daily cup of joe: prevention of deteriorating eyesight and possible blindness from retinal degeneration.

"Coffee is the most popular drink in the world, and we are understanding what benefit we can get from that," said Chang Y. Lee, professor of food science at Cornell University.

Raw coffee is, on average, just 1 percent caffeine, but it contains 7 to 9 percent chlorogenic acid (CLA), a strong antioxidant that prevents retinal degeneration in mice, according to a Cornell study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (December 2013).

Read more: A cup of coffee a day may keep retinal damage away, study shows

Photo Courtesy of stockimages

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When should children get their eyes tested?

A Daily Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Bad Eyes

Joe Bushara

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