Here’s a topic for the dinner table this evening. Ask this question as you pass the pasta: “Has anyone noticed that their eyes are feeling especially tired or irritated?

It's summertime, and kids have been home from school, not just since June, but in most cases since late March, due to the pandemic. Many family members may be working from home and relying more heavily on digital devices. Kids are online more doing schoolwork or just trying to stay entertained while locked down and maintaining physical distance from their friends. This is a very different kind of summer, no matter where you live. So, what is the connection with tired eyes?

Blue Light and Our Children's Eyes

Blue light. All of this digital device use exposes our eyes to blue light. Blue light is the most harmful light to our eyes, and we are exposed to it every day because of sunlight and digital devices. So, this is not simply an issue caused by extra time spent onscreen indoors. Taking the family outdoors to enjoy the weather, get some exercise, play some games, swim, or just get some sun increases blue light exposure also.

Kids in particular are at risk of blue light damage to their eyes outdoors because kids are notoriously reluctant to wear sunglasses.

Fortunately, the foods we serve the family can solve the problem of blue-light-exposed, overworked, tired eyes. Enter leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards, and chard, which provide lutein. Also, tuna, salmon, and eggs for the omega-3 DHA. Add to that citrus, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower to boost vitamin C. All of these foods may help to promote healthy vision and counter the extra blue light exposure during summertime and the explosion of digital device use of this challenging year.

"But my kids don’t eat spinach or salmon, and they are not wild for broccoli and cauliflower either," you say. Well you’re not alone. Kids are picky, so are a lot of adults. This is where supplements really save the day. Supplements bridge the gap of what the family actually needs and what they are happy to eat. Not everyone eats the most well-balanced diet. Okay, lets get real here, almost nobody does.

Lutein, Omega-3s, and Antioxidants for Kids' Vision Health

Allow me to introduce Kid’s Lutein Gummies. For starters they are delicious. Kale never tasted this good even on it’s best day. Two gummies provide 20 mg of lutein with its antioxidant cousin zeaxanthin, to promote eye health even in the face of extra blue light. Along with Kid’s Lutein Gummies, be sure to serve a helping of the omega-3 DHA. The eyes need DHA; the retina is the place that has the highest concentration of DHA anywhere in the body. Drizzle some Superior Taste Award-winning Carlson Kid's The Very Finest Fish Oil on tonight’s salad or on popcorn, as you enjoy watching a movie, and, voila, those eyes get nourished. (Their hearts and brains too, but that’s a topic for a different blog.) If you wish, there are also Kid's Chewable DHA soft gels that taste great.

Finish up with Kid's Chewable Vitamin C, and you’re set. Vitamin C, being an antioxidant, protects the eyes and promotes clear vision in kids and adults alike. Think of it as vitamin SEE. Vitamin C is pretty nifty in that it also promotes healthy immune function too. It's a win-win this year for sure. Kid's Chewable Vitamin C is tasty and provides the daily dose of vitamin C young people need for healthy eyes, healthy teeth and gums, and healthy immune function.