August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2015
Schools across the United States are starting fall classes during the month of August. Millions of children prepare themselves to meet their new teachers, classmates, and tackle their studies. August is Back to School Month and Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month.
August is a great month to have your children’s eyes and vision examined and checked by your family Optometrist before school starts and assure them the proper eye wear to avoid any vision related problems.
Good eye vision awareness is important to recognize as a parent of a child that might be hesitant in revealing such problem of poor vision for certain reasons such as the awkward stigma behind using eye wear that is often exacerbated by their peers through taunting and other issues that could arise.
Because, you can’t look into your child’s eyes and tell if they have eye health problems, it is important to set up an eye vision exam. Parents should be aware of signs that may indicate their child has vision problems, including wandering or crossed eyes, a family history of childhood vision problems, disinterest in reading or viewing distant objects and squinting or turning the head in an unusual manner while watching television among other issues that might arise from having problems with good vision.
As a parent you must talk to your child’s pediatrician if you suspect your child has any of the eye diseases such as amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (crossed eyes), ptosis (drooping of the eyelid) color deficiency (color blindness) and refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism).
Parents need to speak with their children regarding their vision and whether they are experiencing any problems so they can take them for an eye exam by their Optometrist.
It is estimated that more than 12 million children suffer from vision impairment, and eye injuries are one of the leading causes of vision loss in children. There are an estimated 42,000 sports-related eye injuries each year and the majority of them happen to children.
It is important to note that children should wear protective eyewear while participating in sports or recreational activities, play with age-appropriate toys and avoid toys with sharp or protruding parts.
Nearly 25 percent of school-aged children have vision problems. Of children ages 3 to 5, close to one in 20 has a problem that could result in permanent vision loss if left untreated. The American Academy of Ophthalmology estimates that 80 percent of preschoolers do not receive vision screenings.
If you have not taken your children to have their eyes examined yet, the professionals at Southwest Texas Eye Care and at Southwest Texas Optical at 708 South Bibb Avenue in Eagle Pass, Texas are ready and available to assist you with your children’s eye and vision exams and eye wear needed to provide them with any vision impairment situation.
Southwest Texas Eye Care Associates is located at 708 South Bibb Avenue and may be reached at(830) 773-7339 while Southwest Texas Optical has two locations to serve you at 708 South Bibb Avenue and another at 2076 North Veterans Blvd., Suite E, in Eagle Pass and may be contacted at (830) 757-2222 or at http://www.swtoptical.com/.
Currently, Southwest Texas Optical is offering back to school eye wear specials which include Modern Frame + SV Polycarbonate lens at $89, Modern Frame + SV Polycarbonate lens and Anti-Reflective Coating for $139 and Modern Frame + SV Polycarbonate lens and Anti-Reflective Coating + Transitions for $189 with some restrictions may apply.
Southwest Texas Optical offers the latest fashion and styles in eye wear such as Bebe, Ray Ban, Converzse D&G, and many other designer eye wear brands, including sports eye wear.
