Babies' Eyes

The best way to help keep your baby's eyes healthy is through regular professional eye examinations.  So have your baby's eyes examined—by your pediatrician or a licensed eye doctor—shortly after birth.  But there is more you can do.

Nutrition and eyesight

A balanced diet can make the difference in overall health and wellness. While selections from all four food groups are important in everyone’s daily menu, some foods offer vitamins and minerals that boost eye health and help develop and maintain vision. 

A wide variety of antioxidants and essential fatty acids are good for your vision—and these vitamins, minerals and “good fats” are in foods you may already eat on a daily basis.  While your baby will not be eating from the four food groups for awhile, knowing which foods contain these nutrients can help you start making eye health a part of your diet; healthy habits you can share when the time is right.

Did you know?

“Babies who are breast-fed have significantly better vision as young children than babies fed from formula, according to a study published in the February issue of American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Because scientists have previously hypothesized that the chemical known as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) — found in higher concentrations in breast milk than in formula — enhances the vision of developing children, the researchers randomly added DHA to the formulas of some of the non-breast-fed children.” 

See full article: http://www.newstarget.com/021623.html dated 2/19/2007.