There are lots of aspects of your child's health you have to pay attention too. They range from their diet to their feelings. It can feel a bit overwhelming, but they need the same care as adults do. One of the things people of any age need to look after is their eyes. It's important to have regular checkups to check for problems with your vision. Your eyes can also sometimes give indications of other problems. Your child should have their eyes tested regularly. There are a number of options to correct problems. Use these tips to make sure you look after their eyes.

Eye Exams

It's a good idea to have your child's eyes tested regularly to check for any problems. Every one to two years is a good timeframe to use. However, it's also important to watch out for signs that could indicate any issues. Firstly, you should get their eyes tested if there's a history of conditions such as squint or lazy eye in your family. If others in your family have had to wear glasses from a young age, a test is a good idea. Children with special needs should also have their eyes tested. You should watch out for signs such as one eye turning in or out. You child might also rub their eyes a lot or avoid reading and writing.

Common Eye Conditions

There are a few conditions that could affect your child's eyes. Being long sighted or short sighted is nothing to worry about. Usually, it's corrected with glasses. Some children get a lazy eye, when one eye is weaker than the other. They might also have a squint, which affects around one in 20 children. It can lead to a lazy eye if it isn't treated. There are other problems that can affect your child that are less common, such as nystagmus, where the eyes are always moving.

Correcting Problems

The are several ways an eye problem might be corrected, depending on what it is. Your child might wear glasses for long-sightedness or short sightedness. Glasses are also used to help correct squints and lazy eyes. Eye exercises are used too, and in some cases a doctor might use botulinum toxins (Botox) to inject into the eye muscles. This method weakens the muscles to help them realign. Surgery is also sometimes an option to correct squints and lazy eyes.

Kids and Contact Lenses

Some parents and kids who are tired of wearing glasses wonder about contact lenses. Young children aren't able to wear them, but teens and some preteens can. It's mostly about maturity, rather than their eyes. They need to be able to look after their contacts and wear them responsibly. But once they can, you can use a site like lensdirect.com to keep a stock of contacts for them. However, it's still important to have their eyes tested regularly to keep their prescription up to date.

Looking after your child's eyes is part of making sure they're healthy. Don't forget to protect them from the sun and any contaminants too.