Myopia: What Parents Should Know

Bryan

Too much screen time and studying have an adverse effect on our eyesight and may result in myopia (short-sightedness) over time. In Asia, myopia has become somewhat of an epidemic and 80 to 90% of students are afflicted with short-sightedness by the time they leave school.

While we get our children to eat healthy foods, exercise and brush their teeth, we don’t always know how to help them take care of their eyes. A healthy lifestyle, regulated screen time and regular checkups with the optometrist can catch problems early on so you can take steps to mitigate damage.There are several symptoms to watch for which can tell you that your child may need glasses.

Signs that your Child needs Glasses

While most children become accustomed to eyestrain and may not notice blurriness, they do experience physical symptoms which can help to highlight problems. When eyes are strained, it can cause headaches, tearing, red eyes and excessive eye rubbing.

If you notice your child squinting, closing one eye or moving objects closer to them or further away, it may be time for a trip to the optometrist. Wanting to sit really close to the television or computer screen and sensitivity to light are also important indicators that your child may have a visual impairment.

Struggling with hand-eye coordination and losing interest in books or other work that requires good eyesight may be important signs that they need glasses.

If you want to test your child’s eyesight at home, use the University of Buffalo’s IVAC tool which allows you to use the computer to measure eyesight. Of course this isn’t a definitive test and you should still see a professional, but it may be a good way to check progress between visits to the optometrist.

How Often Should My Kids Go to the Optometrist?

Babies get their eyesight tested when they are born and should have another test at around 6 months. After that, routine tests every two years with a registered optometrist should ensure that any issues are caught in time. If you child already has glasses, annual check-ups are required.

Myopia results from too much screen time and not enough vitamin D so institute limitations on how many hours your children spend in front of a screen and try to get them outside for at least two hours a day.

When children are studying or working on the computer, encourage regular breaks and looking out of the window; adjusting to distance will help keep eyes in shape.

Limiting screen time, getting sunshine and a healthy diet with all the vitamins and minerals are great ways to maintain healthy eyesight for your children.

8 Ways to Teach Your Child Compassion

Studies show that while some children have an innate sense of compassion, it is a valuable character trait that we can teach and develop for all children. Being compassionate makes you a more considerate and caring individual and this will help your children to feel part of their communities and contribute positively. There are simple ways you can help your children to develop a sense of compassion and caring for themselves and for others.

Manners Matter

Teaching manners is really teaching your child to treat others with respect. Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, giving up their chair on the bus and sending ‘thank you’ notes for gifts are great ways to show respect and help children to start to think of others.

Volunteer

Spending a couple of hours a month at a homeless shelter, an animal shelter or a community garden will help your children to experience the joy of giving, and get a sense of the needs of others and all they have to be grateful for.

Environmental Awareness

Recycling, picking up litter, taking your own cup to the coffee shop, donating old clothes to charity or upcycling your used items helps children to think about the way they affect nature and how they can live a more environmentally-friendly life.

Random Acts of Kindness

Buy a coffee for a friend, give a homeless person a meal, share your vegetables and fruit with neighbors or help a friend move. These are ways in which you can show your child how random acts of kindness every day can positively affect the world around you.

Get a Pet

Learning to care for another living thing and spending time with them helps children to develop a sense of compassion and caring. This should be a positive experience, so don’t get pets that they won’t be able to handle or if their schedules are too busy.

Talk about Bullying

Explain that name calling or physical intimidation isn’t funny and get them to think about how they would feel if it was happening to them. Discuss ways to handle bullies and what to do if they are bullied or if they see someone else getting bullied.

Donate to Charities

Every little bit helps so get them to collect their spare change for a charity of their choice. They can also participate in fundraisers for various charities.

Be a good Example

At the end of the day, the best way to teach compassion is to embody it. So resist the urge to complain, judge and be critical of others. When we do this, our children emulate our behavior. So practice compassion yourself, and point out wonderful stories where others have been good examples of compassionate humans.

Be compassionate to your child so that they know what it’s like to be on the receiving end. Talk to them about how it makes them feel so that they are awar

Wonderful Ways to Spend Mother's Day

It’s time to start planning a special day for your mother to show her just how much you appreciate all that she does for you. While you can buy gifts (or make your own), it’s the personal touches that let her know just how much you love her. Here are some great ideas for making Mother’s Day special.

Staycation

Give mom a home holiday this Mother’s Day weekend and make sure she doesn’t have to do a thing. Take care of all her chores, cook the meals and do any shopping that needs to be done. Make sure the house is clean, the laundry is done and the yard has had a spring clean.

Make her staycation extra special with sleep-ins, hot baths, a good book and some fun family activities that you know she will enjoy. Give your mom a Mother’s Day ‘staycation’ that’s not only a well-deserved break, but also helps you to realize just how much she does for you.

Movie Night

Mom gets to pick the flick this time and you can augment the experience by building a pillow fort, making popcorn or taking your movie experience outside if you have a projector. You can also organize a family outing to the cinema and a picnic to round out the evening.

Acting Out

Does your mum like music or the theater? Gather your friends and family members and put on a show for your mom. Write a song, do a play, perform magic tricks or do a standup comedy act that will be fun for the whole family.

And the Oscar goes to…

Create a tribute video where friends and family members all say what they love best about your mom. You can ask distant friends and relatives to do a video phone-in or send videos they make on their smart phones. Compile the clips into a mom love-fest that will make her day.

Gardening

Does your mom love her garden? Plant a new flower bed or get some really colorful spring flowers that you can plant for a splash of color. You can also plant her a new vegetable garden or create a raised garden bed that will make it easier for her to enjoy her favorite hobby.

Class Act

Enroll yourself and your mom in a class you know she will love. Whether it’s painting, flamenco dancing, pottery or skydiving, do something together that you know she will love.

Recipe Rewards

Does your mom love cooking? Make her a personalized cook book that has her favorite recipes from all of her friends and family members. Get each person to write out their recipe and a little note to her and compile them into a book. You can scrapbook these recipes or go online to find a printer that makes recipe books to order. Include photos of friends and family eating some of your favorite holiday meals.

Your mom works so hard all year round, so be sure to show your appreciation on Mother’s Day and  make a fun, relaxing day that she is sure to