How to take care of your child’s eyes and vision?
It is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid screens in our daily lives. Smartphones, tablets and computer screens emit HEV radiation that is harmful to the eye and can negatively affect our vision – it contributes to degenerative changes in the retina. Children who grow up in a digital world are particularly vulnerable to this type of exposure.
HEV (High Energy Visible Light) radiation, also known as “blue light,” is a type of radiation that is emitted by the sun, but also by electronic devices. While not as harmful as UV radiation, long-term exposure to blue light can lead to eye strain, sleep problems, oxidative stress, and even the aforementioned retinal damage.

In the age of digitalization and the inseparable presence of technology in our lives, it is difficult to imagine completely eliminating it. After all, its benefits cannot be ignored – remote communication, access to unlimited amounts of information, the possibility of working and learning remotely – all this has become possible thanks to technology.
However, we must always remember the other side of the coin. The impact of technology, and specifically the constant exposure to light emitted by screens, on our eyesight is undeniable. We pay special attention to this in the context of the youngest, who are entering a world where technology is omnipresent.
So why is it so important to adopt healthy habits around technology? How can we minimize its potential negative effects while still enjoying its many benefits? Here are some proven ways:
1. Ensure healthy lighting in your child’s room.
A child’s room is a place full of fantasy, and at the same time a space for learning, sleeping and playing – all in one room. It is a unique place that has many functions and must meet many challenges. And the right lighting plays a key role in this process.
In every room, especially in a child’s room, lighting should be well thought out, due to the various activities that are performed there. Soft, warm light is ideal for relaxation and cozy sleep, creating a friendly and warm environment. When studying or reading, on the other hand, a stronger, white light, so-called cool white, is needed, which does not tire the eyes and helps with concentration.
Therefore, it will be necessary to use several different light sources, which the child will be able to adjust to his individual needs.
– >Desk lamp: In a child’s room, it should be equipped with a bulb that emits a bright, cool white light. This will provide adequate lighting for the work and study area, which is necessary for effective action and concentration.
– >Ceiling lamp: It is recommended that the ceiling lighting in a child’s room be of a color that is neutral or warm, which will help maintain balance in the toddler’s sleep cycle.
– >Night light: This is an essential element of every child’s room. Its soft, gentle light helps the child to calm down before sleep. It can also be used as a light for reading bedtime stories in the evening.
Very often we think about savings, where during rampant inflation, they are key. We realize that price is an important factor when shopping, but it is worth realizing that in the case of lighting, the cheapest option is not always the best.
By choosing the cheapest light sources, we often expose our children’s eyes to potential dangers. Such lighting can emit irregular, flickering light, which is not only tiring for the eyes, but can also contribute to the development of visual defects. What’s more, it can cause unpleasant sensations, worsen well-being, and even cause dangerous situations.
In addition, low quality often goes hand in hand with a short period of life, which means that we will have to replace light sources more often lights, which may prove less economical in the long run.
The cheapest lighting can also emit too intense white light, which is harmful to young, sensitive eyes. Proper and certified lighting that is photobiologically tested is the key to the health of our children’s eyes.
An interesting option for a child’s room are lamps that allow you to adjust the color and intensity of the light. You can check out our entire range of desk lamps here.
Customizable settings are made via a standard switch, which is already installed in the lamp itself, without the need to need to purchase an additional power supply or dimmer.
2 Encourage your child to be active outdoors.
There is no doubt that outdoor activity is beneficial for the general health of our children, but it also has a direct impact on their eyesight. Natural daylight is extremely important for the proper development of the eye, and a lack of sufficient light can contribute to the development of myopia. In addition, outdoors, the eyes have the opportunity to work in a natural mode, which is not as intense as when we are in closed spaces, because objects are located at a greater distance from the eyes. Regardless of the season, we should encourage our children to spend more time outdoors, especially in the winter season, when the days are shorter – the sun appears in the sky less often and our eyes are more exposed to a lack of natural light. Therefore, it is worth taking advantage of every opportunity to go outside, whenever the weather conditions allow it. Even a short walk or outdoor play can bring many benefits to the health of the eyes. Investing in physical activity is also important, because we control as much as 90% of this activity with the organ of vision.
Encouraging children to be active outdoors is not only an investment in their health, but also a great way to spend time together. Instead of letting the winter blues discourage us from getting outside, let’s use it as an opportunity to play and learn.
3 Limit your child’s time spent in front of TV screens, smartphones or tablets.
Today’s world is dominated by technology. TV screens, smartphones, tablets and computers are present almost everywhere and have become an integral part of our daily lives. Many parents wonder what effect this has on the health of their children, especially their eyesight.
While electronics manufacturers are making efforts to reduce the amount of blue light emitted, overexposure to such devices can still have a harmful effect on your eyesight. Blue light, also known as HEV radiation, can lead to eye fatigue, dryness and even accelerate the aging process of the retina.
Therefore, as parents, we should strive to minimize the time our children spend in front of screens. Many experts recommend different screen time limits depending on the age of the child.
– >For children under 2 years old: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends avoiding screens, except for except for video communication, such as Skype calls or Facetime.
->Children aged 2 to 5: Should spend no more than an hour a day in front of a screen, and the content they watch should be educational and high quality.
– >School-age children: It is recommended to limit time in front of a screen to two hours a day.
*It is worth monitoring our children’s use of electronic devices, especially when outdoors, because otherwise it can have many negative effects, e.g. it can lead to eye irritation, which, when in contact with a smartphone or tablet screen, blinks only 8 times, which is almost half of the blinks performed by the eye in normal conditions (i.e. 15).
Understanding that screen use should be moderate is only one part of the equation. The other part is introducing alternatives to screen activity, such as reading, drawing, playing outside, and other forms of creative and physical development.
Limiting screen time is an investment in the health of our children. Although it requires patience and consistency, the benefits to eye health are worth it.
4 Protect your child’s eyesight from UV radiation not only outdoors.
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is something we often associate with sunbathing on the beach during the hot summer months. But the truth is that UV radiation is present all year round, regardless of the time of day or the weather. It has the ability to penetrate clouds, and its reflection from surfaces such as water, sand or snow can increase UV exposure.
While our skin is at risk of sunburn and skin cancer due to UV radiation, our eyes are just as susceptible to damage. Overexposure to UV radiation can lead to a range of health problems, including cataracts, retinal damage, skin lesions around the eyes, and even some forms of eye cancer.
Children are particularly at risk of UV damage. Their eyes allow more UV radiation to reach the retina than adults, and they tend to spend more time outdoors, increasing their exposure to UV radiation.
That’s why it’s absolutely crucial to protect our children’s eyes from UV radiation. How can we do that? Here are some simple steps we can take:
– >Sun Protection: When outdoors, we should encourage our children to wear wide-brimmed hats or caps that help provide some protection for their eyes.
-> Sunglasses:: Sunglasses are essential when we are outdoors. It is worth mentioning that you should choose glasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB radiation. During infancy, i.e. until the age of one, as much as 90% of UVA radiation and nearly 50% of UVB radiation enters the child’s eye – that’s why it’s so important to invest in the right sunglasses. Sunglasses without a UV filter actually do more harm than good, as they contribute to dilating the pupils of the eye, resulting in even more harmful UV rays entering the eye. This filter should also be put on children’s corrective glasses.
-> Limit sun exposure: If possible, do not stay with children in full sun during the hours when the sun is at its highest, i.e. between 10:00 and 16:00 – try to choose shaded places.
– >Choosing the right lighting: For indoor lighting, avoid fluorescent or incandescent bulbs that may emit small amounts of UV radiation, and instead choose our proven LED lighting that does not emit UV radiation.
5. Get regular eye exams for your child
Vision is one of the most important senses that influences our children’s development and learning. Therefore, regular eye examinations from a young age are essential to ensure that our children have the best opportunities for healthy development.
Regular eye examinations in children help in early detection and treatment of potential problems such as strabismus, myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism. Follow-up examinations are especially important in the context of small children, who are often not even aware that something is wrong with their vision and the image of the world they see. More and more often ophthalmologists believe that the first eye examination in a child should be carried out at the age of 2.5-3 years, i.e. at the time when the child begins to speak, and thus contact with the world and communicate their needs. The second one should be carried out in the preschool period, i.e. at the age of 5-6 years, and the next ones on average every three years.
*An alarming signal for a parent that a child may have vision problems should be: approaching the TV too close, headaches, reluctant and/or imprecise drawing or colouring; and also at school age: careless handwriting or the child struggling to read and/or write.
Importantly, in Poland, children’s eyesight tests are mandatory and are conducted in schools by pediatricians and school nurses. However, these tests are often limited to basic tests, such as reading letters from a Snellen chart. Although these tests are intended to help identify children who have vision problems, they do not replace a full eye examination conducted by a specialist who has full access to advanced equipment and is able to conduct more detailed tests. The eyesight of school-age children should be tested not only at the beginning of their adventure with learning, but above all also at later stages of its duration – it is recommended to perform check-ups with a specialist, among others at the age of 10, 13, 16 and 18.
Professionals often use devices such as a retinoscope to examine the eye to see if the lens of the eye is focusing light properly. Other tools, such as an ophthalmoscope, can be used to examine the retina and optic disc. So, while eye exams at school are mandatory, it’s definitely worth supplementing them with regular visits to a specialist.
Now it’s time to take practical steps.
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The health of our children’s eyesight is a priority, but it is equally important to ensure that they have access to the right accessories that will help them in this task. That is why we have created a list of recommended products that aim to not only provide comfort and safety of vision, but also support the healthy development of our little ones’ eyes.