Your Kids and Their Vision as Adults
A study published in Ophthalmology examined the relationship between health, socioeconomic status, employment status, marital status, and participation in organizations and how they correlated with vision in adults. The almost-10,000 subjects were born in 1958 and were all assessed when they were either 44 or 45.
The study found that those with vision impairments at the time of the assessment were more likely to have been low birth weight babies, to have been small for gestational age, to have had mothers who smoked during their pregnancies, and to have had low socioeconomic status as children. It also found that in mid-life those subjects were more likely to be unemployed because of permanent sickness, have low socioeconomic status, and have poorer general and mental health.
These findings suggest that visual health may be directly affected by prenatal and childhood factors. So take care of yourself when you’re pregnant and take good care of your children to help ensure that they have healthy eyes as adults. And if you think your child needs to be seen by a pediatric ophthalmologist, be sure to schedule an exam with Dr. Vicente.
