One of the most difficult things about lockdown is seeing how much our children miss their friends. Spending time with friends is essential for a child’s development and well-being.
While at home, many of us have been using a range of technology such as Zoom and FaceTime to provide ways for children to interact remotely and maintain those friendships. But these can seem unnatural especially to younger children and do not replace the fun of playing with and alongside their friends.
Much of our social interaction is visual and so it is important to maintain good eyesight and ensure vision is developing properly in younger children. We can do this by providing a range of visual stimuli both at near and distance, taking breaks from screens and spending more time outdoors.
If your child normally wears spectacles or contact lenses for schoolwork, remind them still to wear those spectacles or contact lenses while at home and doing home-schooling tasks. This will ensure your child’s eyes continue to develop properly.
As we ease out of lockdown and our children return to formal education there may be challenges ahead; the nervousness of that first day back at school again, rebuilding friendships, coping with separation from parents and the home. The transition to a new environment may make your child more aware of any changes in their vision. Ask them about this and listen to them. That change in vision may be real so do take them to get their eyes examined.