Clear vision begins in childhood, according to Dr. Kevin Gabriel Tan in his interview on Good Morning Kuya.

He said that most people overlook children’s eye health because of the common thinking that the child is still young.

“Kumbaga marami po kasing nai-ignore, nami-miss out na “Uy bata pa lang to. Tsaka na 'yan. Huwag muna.” he said

According to Dr. Tan, a child can be checked as early as 3 to 6 months.

“As early as, sabi nga namin, as early as 3 months to 6 months, kailangan bantayan na natin yung mga signs of malabo yung paningin or kailangan ipa-check sila nang maaga,”

You might wonder why it should be done so early, since babies are not exposed to many activities yet. Dr. Tan explained that visual concerns like myopia and nearsightedness can be hereditary.

“Actually, namamana ang mga myopia, nearsightedness na 'yan,” he said

Dr. Tan shared a few things that parents can observe to tell whether a child has an eye problem: the eye contact, red reflex, and alignment.

“Paano mo ba ma-o-observe no'n? So there are things to observe. Actually, ang bata kasi pagka-silang pa lang, nakikita na natin yung eye contact niya. Pag tinatawag siya, dapat tumitingin siya sa'yo,” he said

“Tapos yung tinatawag na red reflex. May red reflex — yung bilog na yung gitna ng mata niya — dapat may parang reflection ng red light pag inilawan,” he explained

“Makikita mo yung alignment kasi may ibang bata rin na pinanganak ay hindi na-align yung mata,” he added

He clarified, however, that parents usually do not get their babies checked at 3 months unless the baby is premature.

“Kasi yung 3 months na yan, actually, wala naman nagpapa-check talaga unless premature yung baby,” he said

Still, he emphasized that a child must go to a doctor if anything unusual is observed in the eyes.

“Pag nakikita po natin na may kakaiba sa mata nila, kailangan talaga nating i-check,” he recommended

He noted that some eye conditions can be irreversible if not addressed as early as possible.

“Maraming eye conditions na pag hindi mo sila naagapan sa umpisa, later on irreversible na sila,” he said

If there is no unusual conditions observed within the first 3 to 6 months, he said that the child can be checked once they reached 3 to 5 years old.

“So presuming, walang problema yung bata. Okay yung paningin nila. Ako, I would suggest as early as 3 to 5 years old, kumbaga realistically, ito yung age na talagang nagsa-start na sila mag-school,”

At this age, children start to go to school, and signs of vision problems may become noticeable, such as preferring to read or watch closely on the TV.

“They prefer yung close, paglalapit sila sa TV. (Pag) manonood, ang lapit-lapit nila,” Dr. Tan said

Dr. Tan also said that it is important at this age to find out the child’s eyeglass prescription, so that any error of refraction can be addressed early.

“So make sure, at 3 to 5 years old, may isang checkup na sila kahit papaano sa kanilang optometrist/ophthalmologist para malaman natin kung may grado.” he said

“Kasi as early as that age, pwede na pong may error of refraction, tinatawag nating mga problema sa mata na pwedeng ma-correct as early as possible.” he added

Long-term use of gadgets is also a contributing factor to a blurred vision of a child, according to Dr. Tan.

“May isang pag-aaral nga eh, sabi nga nila, for every hour, na kumbaga kunyari today, 3 hours nagga-gadget yung bata. Tapos next week parang 4 hours na siya,”

“For every hour, dinadagdag natin for every week for the kid, mga 20 to 50% ang chances of myopia, yung pagtaas ng nearsightedness ng isang bata,” he explained

Hence, Dr. Tan advised parents to monitor their child’s vision, screen time, and build healthy habits to protect their eyesight. Eating nutritious food like leafy green vegetables, carrots, squash, fish, and eggs are examples he mentioned that is good for eyesight.

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