Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a common eye condition that starts in childhood and that can become a growing problem as your child gets older. While a child who has a predisposition to develop myopia will most likely have to get glasses and/or contacts when they get older, it’s important to do what you can to help limit your child’s myopia so that their vision doesn’t get worse quickly. Myopia can affect a child’s performance in school and sports, as well as their overall development, which is why it’s important to do your best to manage it so that they don’t have to become dependent on wearing glasses/contacts, which can limit what they can do. Here are some tips that will help to slow down your child’s myopia: Pediatric Ophthalmologists Shakopee MN
Make Sure Your Child Spends Time Outside
One of the best ways to help prevent your child’s myopia from progressing is to make sure that your child is spending an adequate amount of time outside. The progression of myopia is usually caused due the eyes getting an inadequate amount of light, especially natural light, and myopia cases have been increasing significantly lately with more and more children not spending enough time outdoors. That’s why it’s important to make sure that your child is getting outside and that their eyes are getting a sufficient amount of light everyday.
Limit Screen Time
Another tip that will help to hinder your child’s myopia from progressing is to limit their screen time. One of the contributing factors to myopia in children is the fact that they are spending much of their day staring at some type of screen and using some type of device. Electronic devices and screens can have a negative impact on your child’s eye development and eyesight, which is why it’s vital to limit their exposure to them as much as possible.
Have An Eye Doctor Assess & Monitor Your Child’s Eyes
Lastly, making sure that your child’s eyes are being checked and monitored by a professional eye doctor–either an optometrist or a pediatric ophthalmologist–will also allow you to make sure that your child’s eyewear and prescription are working appropriately in order to manage your child’s eye condition and prevent their eyesight from worsening. Moreover, an eye doctor will also be able to give you tips and advice on how best to manage your child’s eye condition so that their myopia improves rather than worsening over time, or to help your child’s vision say approximately the same and not continue to get worse.
If your child is having trouble seeing properly or your child has been diagnosed with myopia, you should make sure to schedule an eye appointment for your child with a pediatric ophthalmologist in Shakopee MN, like Insight Vision.