Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month – August 2022

Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month is celebrated every August in the U.S. to raise awareness and prevent blindness. This month aims to raise awareness about the importance of taking care of children’s eyes with regular checkups.  Eye health and good eyesight are essential for young children’s physical and cognitive development. It’s not always possible for kids to understand when their eyes aren’t healthy, parents should stay on top of any vision concerns.

One out of 20 children between the ages of three and five has a serious eye problem, and if not treated on time could result in permanent vision impairment. Most preschoolers do not receive routine eye screening, which is crucial to identify if children suffer from eye disease.  Safety and eye health are essential components of a fulfilling childhood.

Most childhood learning happens visually so good vision is critical for a child’s physical and intellectual well-being. Common signs of concern about eye health are frequent rubbing of the eyes, squinting, tilting, or turning the head to look at objects. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has proclaimed August as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month to raise awareness of children’s eye health. This month also aims to educate parents and caregivers on the steps that should be taken to ensure that students are provided with the best opportunity to have a successful school year through a healthy vision. Common refractive abnormalities in children are myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. A pediatric optometrist can not only detect them but also other severe eye conditions such as amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), ptosis (drooping of the eyelid), and color deficiency or color blindness.

How regularly do you get your children’s eyes checked?

I have always had my son’s eyes checked and tested mainly due to the Retinitis Pigmentosa that I have. There’s a one in two chance that my children could develop RP when they’re older. Living with any form of low vision/blindness means we know just how precious healthy vision is.  But if in the future my children are affected by sight loss, my legacy to them through my poetry will instill a strong belief that no lack of vision in our eyes can ever replace the vision in our minds.  We can achieve anything with put our minds too.