Ensuring your child is as healthy as possible involves tending to all of their physical needs, including ensuring they get pediatric eye care in Wellington, FL, as needed. Take a look at a few of the most common concerns about pediatric visual health below.

Managing Digital Device Use and Its Impact on Children’s Vision
Managing digital device use in children is crucial for safeguarding their vision. Excessive screen time, especially without breaks, can lead to digital eye strain, characterized by symptoms like eye fatigue, headaches, and dry eyes.

Understanding and Addressing Eye Strain and Fatigue in Children
Intervention measures may be important if you notice your child is struggling to see or act like their eyes are tired. If screen time is causing the problem, implementing strategies such as the 20-20-20 rule—taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away—can help. Do what you can to alleviate strain and reduce the risk of long-term vision problems, but never hesitate to schedule an eye exam to ensure nothing more serious is happening.

Recognizing the Signs of Vision Problems in Infants and Toddlers
While children may not always tell you that something is off with their vision, there may be symptoms you can catch as a parent, such as:

Difficulty focusing on objects or tracking movements
Frequent eye rubbing or squinting
Excessive tearing or eye drainage
Red or encrusted eyelids
Extreme sensitivity to light
Delayed development of visual skills, such as reaching for objects or making eye contact
Talk to an Optometrist in Wellington for Guidance
Children should have a check-up with a Wellington, FL, eye doctor as soon as possible if they suspect problems. Reach out to the Family Vision Center PA team to schedule an appointment.

When children are young, a child symptom questionnaire can tell the staff at an eye doctor more about the child’s vision. A child symptom questionnaire is designed to get better insight into how a child’s eyesight functions on a day-to-day basis. It’s a good way to call attention to what’s really happening at home, which may or may not be easily tested for in an office. We’ll look at what questions are generally covered, what they say about the questionnaire-taker, and what pediatric optometrists in Wellington can derive from the answers.

What’s Covered on a Symptom Questionnaire?
At Family Vision Center, the questionnaire covers the following areas:

Close work: These questions typically cover reading, but they can be applied to any activity at close range. If the child seems to tire after a while or complains of blurriness or headaches, these symptoms can be noted by the doctor.
Observations: Do your child’s eyes start to drift or cross while you’re talking to them? Do they water or turn red easily? These observations can give doctors an idea of what types of symptoms aren’t showing up on the day of the exam.
Performance: If your child is easily frustrated during academic tasks or mixes up letters or numbers, they may have a vision disorder. Even something like sloppy handwriting can be an indicator that they’re having a difficult time perceiving objects.
Find a Pediatric Optometrist in Wellington
An optometrist in Wellington, FL, won’t always be able to get reliable answers from children, either because they’re too young or because the child won’t understand what’s happening to their eyes. At Family Vision Center, we prepare for this by thinking ahead. Contact us today to take the survey and start getting your questions answered.

Your child’s eyesight is still developing. Any problems that may develop later on in life might be prevented with the implementation of the following ideas to help protect your child’s eyesight as they grow.

Plenty of Sleep
Children need lots of sleep in order for healthy growth, and that includes their eyesight. Tired eyes aren’t just a fairy tale. Weariness causes eye strain, which is bad for everyone, including children.

Proper Distance
Teach your youngster how far away to hold reading materials so their eyes aren’t strained. If they insist on holding things far or near, it could be a sign that they need to see a pediatric eye doctor in Wellington, FL, for an eye exam.

Adequate Lighting
Be sure that there are well-lit areas in the home for your child to read. Reading in low light causes eye strain, which can have permanent effects on your child’s eye development. Emphasize the need for good lighting so your child doesn’t try to read in darkness or bad lighting.

Limit Screen Time
Kids these days spend inordinate amounts of time looking at screens, even at school. Put hard limits on screen time since screens emit blue light, which is bad for the eyes over extended periods of time. Since much of the latest technology is relatively new, we’ve yet to find out the long-term effects of looking at screens all day.

Protective Eyewear During Sports
Whether your child is practicing their pitch in the backyard or in the schoolyard, it’s important that they wear protective eyewear. Goggles for swimming and other eyewear for sports will ensure that an accidental sports injury doesn’t turn into a permanent injury.

For more information about ways to protect your child’s eyesight or to book an eye exam, make an appointment with your child’s eye doctor in Wellington, FL.

When your child’s eyes change color, it’s a sign they’re reacting to their environment. In most cases, red eyes are not a cause for concern, though it’s usually recommended parents see a pediatrician to rule out more serious conditions. We’ll look at what it might be and what you can do to ensure your child gets the care they need.

What Turns a Baby’s Eyes Red?

Just like adults, common allergies or general irritation can turn an infant’s eyes red. There’s also pink eye (conjunctivitis), also known as an inflammation of the inside of the eyelid and the outside of the eye’s membrane. A baby can pick up more serious eye infections after passing through the birth canal, but these are usually prevented by medication given in the delivery room.

Steps to Take

If you’re looking for pediatric eye care in Wellington, FL, the general advice is to see a pediatrician first. Because eye infections are contagious, you don’t necessarily want to make assumptions about what the problem is. Should your child have an eye infection, it’s important to avoid contact with either their eyes or any drainage from their eyes (e.g., tears, discharge, etc). If you’re giving them drops or ointment, be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterward.

Pediatric Care in Wellington

While you may be advised to talk to a doctor first, that doesn’t mean your infant won’t need to see an eye doctor in Wellington, FL as well. Family Vision Center PA’s staff works alongside pediatricians to ensure children of all ages receive proper care. If your baby has struggled with red eyes or you just have questions about what’s normal, contact us today to see how we can help.