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| SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2025
Foods that can benefit children’s
Eye Health
Food is more than fuel to keep human bodies moving. Food can be an integral component of a health and wellness routine, particularly when nutritious foods are finding their way onto people’s dinner tables. The right foods can bolster the body in a number of ways, including promoting strong eyesight. That’s as true for adults as it is for children, whose eyesight can be bolstered with foods that support eye health. Vitamin A is especially beneficial for eye health, as the American Academy of Ophthalmology notes the retina needs ample vitamin A to turn light rays into images. The AAO also notes that vitamin A helps to keep eyes moist and thus reduces the likelihood that a painful condition known as dry eye will develop. When it comes to using diet to promote healthy vision in children, parents can consider the following eye-friendly foods.
with hummus or peanut butter if kids are reluctant to eat them on their own.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are another excellent source of vitamin A. In fact, the Office of Dietary Supplements reports that a single baked sweet potato in its skin can provide as much as 561 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin A. Kids may be reluctant to eat the skin of sweet potatoes, and parents need not fret, as there’s still plenty of vitamin A and additional nutrients when the skin is removed.
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is a low-calorie fruit that also packs a nutritious punch. According to the Mayo Clinic, a single cup of cantaloupe contains about 106 percent of the daily recommended value of vitamin A. Cantaloupe also tends to be kid-friendly, as its sweet and refreshing flavor profile makes this round melon a tasty treat for youngsters and adults alike.
Leafy Greens
Vitamin A is not the lone booster of eye health. The AAO notes that the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin promote a healthy macula, a part of the eye that is Carrots important to central, detailed vision. Kale WebMD reports that a half-cup of and spinach may not excite youngsters as carrots can provide 73 percent of the daily much as cantaloupe, but each are antioxrecommended amount of vitamin A. Par- idant-rich leafy greens that parents can ents can keep that in mind come snack incorporate into weekly meals. One trick time, offering youngsters some carrots is to incorporate spinach into pasta dishes
that kids love so much they won’t even realize they’re eating greens. When serving kale, serve it alongside mashed potatoes and encourage kids to mix the two.
development. Glasses can help straighten crossed or misaligned eyes, bolster weak vision caused by differences in vision between a child’s eyes, and even protect the stronger eye. The American AcadeKidney Beans my of Pediatrics recommends children begin vision screening around age 3 and The AAO notes kidney beans are rich in zinc, which helps to maintain a healthy receive annual screenings each year at retina and protect the eyes from light-re- ages 4, 5 and 6. After that, screening is lated damage. Kidney beans are especial- recommended when children turn 8, ly helpful because they are rich in copper, 10, 12, and 15. Of course, parents who begin to suspect their children are having which can be depleted by zinc but is necessary for the formation of red blood trouble with their vision are urged to take cells. Kidney beans thus help ensure kids the child to an ophthalmologist once such suspicions arise. Some notable signs get enough zinc and help to combat the include inexplicable declines in academic effects zinc can have on copper levels. chil- performance, children sitting closer to Diet can have a notable impact on chil dren’s eye health, which makes it vital for the television than they once did and children’s own remarks regarding their vision parents to serve vision-friendly foods to if they say anything at all. youngsters. There is no definitive age when a child may need to get eyeglasses. However, the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus notes that children’s visual systems are still developing during the first 12 years of their life, and during this period wearing glasses can be important for normal vision