Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month

Vision disorders often make it difficult for people to engage with the world around them. Vision problems not only make it difficult for school-aged children to interact with their surroundings, but they can also hinder their chances of achieving academic and social success. One of the primary goals behind Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, which the nation observes every August, is to teach parents and caregivers about the steps they can take to ensure that their children have the best chance for a healthy, happy, and successful school year by maintaining their vision.

Here are some important facts on eye diseases and conditions in children:

• On average, one in every 20 children between the ages of 2 and 5 years old has an eye condition that could lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated.
• Current numbers suggest that approximately 80% of preschool-aged children have not received an eye health screening.
• One in every four school-aged children and one in every 17 preschool-aged children have some sort of vision problem that requires corrective treatment.
• 24% of teens with correctable vision disorders or issues have the wrong prescription.
• 80% of blindness and vision impairment is treatable or preventable.
• Untreated eye conditions in children become significantly more difficult to treat or correct as time goes on.
• Some of the most common vision problems in children are amblyopia (“lazy eye”), strabismus (“crossed eyes”), myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism.

The first and most effective line of defense against preventable vision problems in children is to undergo a vision screening. While vision screenings do not take the place of a comprehensive eye exam, they are a great way to identify if a child is at risk for a problem or is currently experiencing one. After a vision screening, the next step is an eye exam conducted by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Another cause of eye issues and injuries in children and teens is sports-related injuries. Sports-related injuries are quite common in children; of the 100,000 sports injuries that occur each day, about one-third are sustained by children under the age of 16. Despite how common this type of injury is, the number of kids who wear protective eyewear (like safety glasses or goggles) has remained concerningly low (15%). Here is some additional data on sports-related injuries in kids and teens:

• Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children between the ages of 11 and 14. Most of these injuries occur while children are playing sports.
• Sports-related injuries include injuries such as corneal abrasions, bruises to the eyelid, retinal detachments, and internal bleeding.
• Current estimates suggest that sports-related eye injuries account for over 100,000 physician visits every year.
• Boys between the ages of 11 and 15 years old are as much as five times as likely to sustain a sports-related eye injury requiring a hospital visit as girls in the same age group.

To reduce the risks of sustaining sports-related eye injuries, children and teens should wear protective eyewear, like safety goggles or glasses, every time they play a sport. Make sure that protective eyewear is compliant with impact standards as prescribed by the American Standards for Testing and Materials (ASTM). It is also a good idea that the safety goggles are made from polycarbonate materials, since they afford wearers the highest level of impact protection. If you need recommendations on protective eyewear, speak with an eyecare professional or a representative at your local sporting goods store.

If you have questions or concerns about an eye injury that your child or teen sustained, someone at our firm can help. To learn more, contact a representative online now.

Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorneys at Galfand Berger, LLP, Representing Injured Victims Since 1947

Contact the Philadelphia personal injury attorneys at Galfand Berger LLP today. Call us at 800-222-USWA (8792) or fill out our online form for a free consultation. Located in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Lancaster, and Reading, we serve clients throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including Allentown and Harrisburg.