August is Children Eye Health Month, raising awareness about the importance of good eye health practices for children.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 19 million children globally are visually impaired. Of those, 12 million could have their vision restored with proper care.
The international agency revealed that myriads of children, especially those in rural areas, do not have access to the necessary eye care. Contributing factors include the long distances that eye-care providers and patients have to travel for eye health services, as well as the high costs of treatment in South Africa.
Symptoms of a need for eye care include frequent rubbing of the eyes, complaints of itching eyes, holding books or other objects close to the face, difficulty seeing in dim light, frequent headaches, abnormal head positioning, abnormal blinking, and frequent squinting.
Dr Maanda Mabogo, ophthalmologist, encourages parents to take children to doctors for early diagnosis and treatment to prevent long-term issues.
