How Parents Can Affect Their Children's Weight
Can parents help affect the weight of their children? This article describes a number of ways in which they can have a significant affect on their weight and ultimate livelihood.
How Parents Can Affect Their Children's Weight
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Recent studies have shown that there is an increasing trend in the number of overweight and obese children. In fact, there are estimates that say up to 15% of the children in UK fit this description. It is a sad fact, to say the least. Some experts go so far as to say that because of the children’s bad eating habits and lack of exercise, more and more parents will end up burying their own children.

So, what can the parents do about this? Here are eight thoughts to ponder and hopefully take action on.

Obesity and excess weight gain are usually a direct result of poor eating habits and lack of exercise. The key here is to provide your child with a balanced healthy diet and encourage physical activities.

Realize that not all overweight issues are hereditary. Many experts say that in reality, only a small percent of obesity and weight gain can be attributed to heredity….. So don’t automatically blame your genes!

Children often mimic the bad eating habits and inactivity of their parents. Therefore set an example by eating balanced meals and exercising regularly. When the children are very young, they will want to eat what is on your plate. What better time is there to start some good eating habits yourselves?

Encourage your children to walk more and take part in physical activities. Parents do not need to continually drive their children every where when they can easily walk there. Also, monitor the time they spend in front of the television. How does this compare to the time they spend outside playing or participating in some physical activities.

Minimize fast food, sweets, and convenience meals. They are all high in calories and full of salt and sugar. They are cheap, available and targeted to our children through television, so beware.

Luckily it is easier to change a child’s eating habits than it is to change an adults. If you are concerned about your child’s weight you should encourage them to eat a variety of fresh foods that are nutritious. You should also replace foods that are high in fat such as cookies, chocolate, and cakes with alternatives that are healthy such as fresh fruit, wholegrain bread or crackers.

The way you cook (and shop) also has an effect on their (and your) weight. That is, grill or bake foods rather than fry them. Watch the types of carbohydrates you eat. Buy fresh fruit juices rather than sodas. Start their day with low sugar cereals. Minimize the amount of sweets (chocolate) in the house and substitute, instead, things like dried fruits, nuts and granola.

Develop good eating habits.

--To prevent children grazing all day, provide them with regular meals at set, routine times. Don’t allow your child to each while they do homework or watch television.
--Use mealtimes as an opportunity for the family to sit together at a table.
--Encourage your child to listen to what their stomachs tell them so they learn to only eat when they are hungry as opposed to eating out of habit.
--Teach your child to chew their food thoroughly and eat at a slower pace so they savour and appreciate their food.

Ask your child to assist you when you are preparing food so they are more interested and aware of what they are eating. A child who has helped prepare a healthy meal is more likely to eat it. Encourage older children to keep a food diary to identify the times they are likely to snack.

There you have eight points on how the parent can influence the eating habits of their children, which in turn, should positively affect the child’s weight gain.

For more information please visit http://www.five95ebooks.com/Nutrition.html and see how you can learn more about the basics of nutrition. To see our growing list of other $5.95 eBooks, please visit www.Five95eBooks.com where all ebooks are $5.95.

By Bruce Dinger
Published: 5/6/2006

Childhood Obesity Study
How many more dire predictions do we need from one childhood obesity study after another before we take action? Let's make junk food manufacturers put health warnings on their nutritionally barren, hazardous foods...
Childhood Obesity Study
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An Australian study into childhood obesity by the University of Sydney found that the number of children exercising is 20% higher than in 1997.

Strike one down for the good guys in the war against childhood obesity.

Unfortunately this childhood obesity study also found that the rate of obese children in Australia has increased in children aged between 4 and 16.

What's the problem.

One of the authors of this childhood obesity study - Dr Michael Booth - said our kids are "simply eating too many calories primarily through junk foods."

Dr Booth went on to recommend some kind of restriction on marketing junk foods to kids.

Dr Booth is a captain in the fight against childhood obesity.

I say make the junk food advertisers tell the truth.

How many more dire predictions do we need from one childhood obesity study after another before we take action.

Let's make those junk food manufacturers label their products with warnings like "trans fatty acids in this food have been linked to obesity, cancer, depression and a wide variety of disease."

Or "this nutritionally barren food is laden with sugar which stimulates the production of insulin in your body leading to a cascade of destructive hormones linked to disease."

But we can't completely blame the junk food companies.

As parents a lot of the time we're the ones buying this junk food for our kids.

A great diet and lifestyle starts at home.

And you can get started with a few insider secrets to raising a healthy child by listening in to the free audio at http://www.raisingahealthychild.com

The greatest childhood obesity study in history is taking place right now and ALL our children are the subjects.

The question is, as a parent are you going to let this be one of those awful studies where all the kids end up with horrible disease...

Or are you going to fight the good fight and help your child become slim, healthy and happy.

By Andrew Cavanagh
Published: 4/29/2006
 

Yoga for Kids - Torment Of A Silent Mind
Silence is golden but not for the tormented child.
Yoga for Kids - Torment Of A Silent Mind
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Why is it that Yoga for kids is becoming even more popular today than it was in days of yesterday, well children are just as much prone to suffer from stress just like adults do. How can this be a great many would ask? Kiddies pressure come from additional education requirements (like more homework) We all know the importance of furthering our child’s education to give them a better chance in life but when it can destroy life then it is time to take action.

Yoga for kids is a priceless gift to give to a child where they lay claim to peace of mind. Pressure put upon our kids today can be brought on by other factors like being bullied. Children also suffer at the hands of the parents while watching them worry over debt or whatever comes with surviving in the 21st century. How can we help the mind of a tormented child, simple introduce them to Yoga?

Yoga for kids help them become aware of the body and start to understand how vital it is to keep in good shape. Even at an early age kids need to develop better body awareness and after doing this they take control all by themselves to lead an active healthy life. Children who practice yoga self educate themselves on self control flexibility and coordination.

Exercises for children have proven in some cases to assist slowing down Hyper active behaviors. Yoga has helped kids by channeling their impulses in a positive way. Yoga moves for minors differ just like that of the way adults practice. A couple of poses for children that work perfectly well are the Warrior pose and the Tree poses. Both are exercises that help the child to find calm, build up confidence and balance.

Some children take to yoga like water of a ducks back whereas others have to be coaxed and need assurance and the benefits pointed out to them. The secret behind getting a dubious child to enroll in a yoga class is to explain how it is a popular craze among other children. Point out how much fun it can be. Explain in fine detail of the Warrior posture moves in your quest to encourage the child. Ease their discomfort if afraid to practice yoga alone. Let them know they can team up with a partner, this will also help build up on their team skills therefore gaining a bonding with others.

There will be times where the children will find it difficult to focus and concentrate but is that not the case with all children whether practicing yoga or not. Children and relaxation are not very compatible. Just to have a child close their eyes for a period of time will be task in its self. Ask the child to visualize something that he/she are interested in or enjoy doing.

Try them with the belly breathing yoga exercise while listening to soothing relaxation music. Ask them to imagine they are up in space floating or making sand castles on the beach. After the session is over invite the child to share their experience of how they felt while practicing the Yoga for Kids routine.

If they divulge their secret thoughts then this can only mean that the child has opened up and what a major breakthrough that is. To have your child share a secret is enough to say they want to be heard.

Those silent thoughts that once troubled your little boy/girl will give you as a caring parent the insight on how to deal with what was once a tormented silent mind.

Yoga for kids is the healthiest wealthiest form of knowledge for any child.

100% fit in mind body and soul is what healthy living is all about. With yoga you claim what is rightfully yours.- control. http://www.want2yoga.com Take steps now to move on with your life http://www.allaboutonlineeducation.com

By Kacy Carr
Published: 3/11/2006
 

What Parents Can Do To Help Children With ADD
What Parents Can Do To Help Children With ADD
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Once your child has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, you may feel a bombardment of emotions: guilt, for feeling responsible; relief, for understanding the cause of your child’s behavior; or anger. As you sort through all of the emotions, it is important to understand your child’s position is not a hopeless one. Many things can be done to help your child reach their full potential and to deal with the disorder.

The first thing you should do to help your child is research ADD; learn everything you can about the disorder. You will be more help to your child if you fully understand what they are up against, common treatments, and what to expect down the road. You will also be more prepared to work with your child’s doctor in effective management of the disorder.

You should also decide, with the help of your doctor, if your child should be medicated. This is a personal decision and can be only be made by you. Some parents feel they are giving their child the best opportunity they can by providing a means to a normal life. Others feel as though medication is not an option. Whatever your decision, you should be educated and certain of your decision.

Regardless of if you use medication, you should implement certain behavior therapy guidelines to help your child control their behavior. These train your child to utilize lifelong skills to be effective and productive. You should have set behaviour guidelines, as well as consequences. Children with ADD need clear expectations and consistent discipline.

You should be supportive of your child; you are their best advocate. In school, be sure they are being treated in a manner that will ensure their growth and development, as well as at home. You should consider yourself, your child’s teachers, and doctors a part of a team whose goal is to help your child succeed.

Help your child grow to be a confident and happy person. Acknowledge their strengths and tell them how much you love them. Children with ADD often suffer depression and low self-esteem; if you know this is the case, take measures to help avoid this fate for your child. Seek professional help if necessary.

Consider joining a support group and seek out people that share your situation. Often the best advice you can take is from someone that has been in your shoes. Utilize life experience!

Sarah is an acclaimed writer on medical matters, and has written extensively on the subjects of Attention Deficit Disorder, Bird Flu and Cohn’s Disease.

For more of her articles, go to http://www.imedicalvillage.com now.

By Sarah Jenkins
Published: 2/23/2006
 

Types of ADD Manifestation in Children
Types of ADD Manifestation in Children
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Attention Deficit Disorder wears many faces among children. While the hyperactive, rebellious boys are easy to spot, there are also several other types of children that suffer from ADD that go undiagnosed because of their less conspicuous behavior. Girls often fall into this category.

Some girls are referred to as the "tomboy" type. Preferring more physical activities, they often exhibit some of the key characteristics of ADD, without the defiant behavior of their male counterparts. For this reason, parents and teachers will usually assume the child is not academically inclined and unorganized, but never consider ADD to be a possibility.

Another often undiagnosed group of ADD children are the "chatty" girls. This type is a combination of inattentiveness and hyperactivity and is typically exhibited as being extremely social. More hyper-talkative than hyperactive, these girls have a very difficult time keeping quiet even after being disciplined for talking. They will also tend to jump around a lot when telling stories and organizing their thoughts.

"Daydreamers" are another category often overlooked as having ADD. These girls are usually very quiet and do not draw attention to themselves. However, their extreme inattentiveness is a standard ADD trait. They may exhibit depression and anxiety about school projects, but are not able to stay on task to complete assignments. These are probably one of the most difficult children to diagnose, as teachers and parents do not usually notice the behavior as being a problem and assume the child is simply lazy.

Interestingly enough, there are also a lot of "gifted" girls with ADD. High IQ levels may make it easier to cope with inattention and impulsiveness, but as a child ages, their shortcomings often emerge. It must be remembered that ADD is not a learning disability, and sufferers do not inherently perform poorly in school. They may be able to mask their disorder well into middle or high school, where it them makes itself apparent as work becomes more difficult and assignments become more pressing.

Attention Deficit Disorder can cause many problems when it goes undiagnosed. It will often be assumed children are lazy, unintelligent, and unorganized, when in actuality, they suffer from this disorder. They will often grow up with poor self-esteem and think themselves quitters, or even worse, think they are stupid because of the problems they have. It is important to notice these traits and treat them accordingly to prevent any long term consequences of the disorder.

Sarah is an acclaimed writer on medical matters, and has written extensively on the subjects of Attention Deficit Disorder, Bird Flu and Crohn’s Disease.

For more of her articles, go to http://www.imedicalvillage.com now.

By Sarah Jenkins
Published: 2/10/2006 

Why Your Child’s School Needs an AED
Every year, seemingly healthy children suddenly die from heart failure. Automated external defibrillators are an affordable and highly effective device that could save many of them. Learn why every school should have one of these amazing devices.
Why Your Child’s School Needs an AED
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Automated External Defibrillators, commonly known as an AED, have saved thousands of lives since their formal induction into the world outside of hospitals and ambulances. Every place from apartment buildings to airports to shopping malls are investing in AEDs and keeping them on hand in the event they should need to be used in order to save a life. Having an AED at your child’s school is an invaluable insurance policy -- although no one may ever need the AED, it is there in case someone—regardless of age—enters into cardiac arrest. Along with this popularity in personal and public locations all over the world, many schools have adopted defibrillator policies and are placing AEDs alongside of the tongue depressors in the nurse’s office.

According to the informative Web site Start A Heart, automated external defibrillators are lightweight, portable devices that can jumpstart a victim’s heart by using an electrical pulse called a biphasic shock. Guiding the rescuer with a combination of simple and clear voice, text and graphical instructions, AEDs do nearly all of the work, enabling practically anyone save a life!

Several states have gone too far as to pass legislation requiring schools to have an AED under their roofs. This is critical to ensure the safety and health of the students currently attending that specific school. You should speak with the principal or administration at your child’s school to see if that specific school houses an AED or if they fall under the legislation. One such state that has passed legislation is the state of New York. Passed in May of 2002, this legislation requires all public schools to come equipped with an Automated External Defibrillator. Each school is required to purchase an AED in addition to having trained staff on hand that is completely knowledgeable on how to work the defibrillator.

The legislation may not specify regarding this training, but generally schools that have an AED on the campus will encourage educators to become trained into how to work the AED. This is especially important, since more than one individual should be completely aware on how to work the defibrillator in case of emergency and the school nurse or trained individual is not to be found. By training several faculty members of any school, the time required to find an individual knowledgeable enough on how to use the AED is dramatically cut, which can directly affect the individual suffering from the heart related problem. Although it may seem like overkill, many schools offer special incentives to teachers who enroll in an AED training program in order to be able to help in the event of an emergency.

Parents don’t always realize that children can suffer from heart problems and might require the assistance of an AED. Many still remember the tragic death from star basketball player Hank Gathers, who collapsed and died of a heart attack during a college basketball game. His death has served as a reminder that even seemingly healthy youngsters can be at risk for heart failure.

Having an AED located directly within the school will allow the child to have a much better survival rate, since he or she will not have to wait a great deal of time between when the medical emergency actually occurs and when the paramedics arrive on the scene. With an AED on hand, an informed individual will be able to directly administer medical assistance that may allow the child to survive until the medial professionals arrive. If your child’s school does not have an AED on hand, consider starting a fundraiser program so that the school will have the necessary funds for purchasing an AED.

By Mitchel Harad
Published: 12/16/2005 

Building A Strength Training Routine For Your Child
Learn the basics of building a strength training program for children. It provides helpful hints to introduce your child to weights.
Building A Strength Training Routine For Your Child
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Sally is ready to join the basketball team this year. You encourage her, tell her to practice everyday, and even join in on the team's fundraising efforts. As adults we know the positive health benefits that come with exercise and strength training. These exact same benefits can be applied to children as well.

Building a safe and effective weight training routine for Sally is easier than one may think. The program should include the use of light free weights, an exercise for each muscle group, and a proper warm up and cool down. Let's not forget the ultimate goal of having fun!

Kids love to run and jump all over the place. Encourage that playfulness while working on strength training programs as well. Be sure to focus on proper form and technique and not on physique or bulking up.

Children who have not yet gone through puberty should not even consider adding lean muscle mass to their bodies. Save that goal for a later date. Just let your children have fun and experience strength training in a fun and positive environment.

Check with your doctor before starting any exercise program. Before you know it, Sally will have better grades, better games, better self-esteem and a healthier life. Remember you may be Sally's biggest role model.

Lynn VanDyke has created the ultimate guide to melting the fat. Over 400 pages packed with 200+ exercise photos, 160 daily menus, 63 secrets to sticking with it and loads more. If you've ever wanted a professional to simply tell you the best way to melt the fat, then visit http://melt-the-fat to learn more.

By Lynn VanDyke
Published: 12/10/2005 

 Let Your Child Gorge On His Gummy Bears!
Do you frown at your kid munching away those gummy bears? They could be a source of much-needed nutrients that he may refuse to eat otherwise!
Let Your Child Gorge On His Gummy Bears!
Does your kid refuse to eat his greens? Does he or she love gummy bears more than the fruits and veggies you want him to eat everyday? You are not alone. Many parents face the same problem.

Most children are fussy eaters. They love all kinds of junk food and processed food. They would hardly take a look at all those fruits and veggies you put on their tables, but they will gobble up gummy bears with gusto. Responsible parents have always fretted over their children's affinity for junk food. A growing child needs proteins and vitamins. Lack of these in their daily diet can affect their immunity to diseases. Children fed on a diet of junk and refined foods tend to be frailer and may also do badly in their studies. It can also affect their behavior.

This last point is not been given as much importance as it should be. When the Appleton Central Alternative High School replaced vending machines with water coolers and started offering fresh vegetables, fruits, whole-grain bread and a salad bar in place of the hamburgers and french fries, vandalism among the students nosedived!

The question is how will you make your child eat more nutritional food. In any case, pushing fruits and vegetables down their throat is not an answer. Not just because of the unpleasantness it will cause, but because pollution and other factors have reduced the quantity of vitamins and other nutrients in those foods. You may cram your child's stomach with fruits, but he or she may still not get the right quantity of nutrients needed daily.

Children's food supplements containing a revolutionary new class of sugars called glyconutrients could be the answer to the problems faced by parents.

What are glyconutrients. Essentially these are a class of sugars that have been found to be of immense importance in the body's fundamental process of cell building. A lot of research is currently going on about the effect eight sugars from this class of saccarides have on the body. Two of these, glucose and galactose, are abundant in our diet. The remaining six -- mannose, fucose, xylose, N-Acetylglucosamine, N-Acetylgalactosamine, and N-Acetylneuraminic acid - are mostly missing from our food. Glyconutrients strengthen our immunity, and help the body fight many diseases.

The problem is how to get the children to eat these glyconutrients. Glyconutritionals or food supplements containing glyconutrients are now available that resemble and taste like the junk food your children would like to snack on. So if you child loves gummy bears, it would be easy to get him to eat those scrumptious, delicious, colorful gummy-bear shaped glyconutritionals made from natural ingredients. For once, you won't disapprove of your child chewing on those gummy bears!

By Lisa Hyde-Barrett
Published: 10/13/2005

Working Out with Kids: Do What YOU Like!
When parents try to get their kids to be more active, these efforts usually start out full of enthusiasm and good intentions, but very often end up sidelined, not by the kids? Unwillingness to cooperate, but by the parents? Inability to provide the consistent support needed.
Working Out with Kids: Do What YOU Like!
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If that sounds familiar, don’t feel bad. It’s not a knock on your parenting. Busy, overloaded parents sometimes just get to the point where something’s got to give. Start with competing demands in a tight schedule, throw in the periodic unexpected happenstance, and the thing that? Gives? Can often end up being the kids? Physical activities.

The Centers for Disease Control conducted a longitudinal survey of kids aged 9 to 13 years, and included their parents. What the researchers found was that more than 60 percent of children aged 9 to 13 do not participate in any organized physical activity when they’re out of school hours, and almost a quarter of kids in that age group do not engage in any kind of free-time physical activity at all. Nothing. Not playing tag, not riding a bike, not even walking home from school. And 25 percent of parents said they believed their own lack of time was a major barrier to their childrens’ participation in physical activity. In truth, it’s probably even more than that, because it’s just hard to accept and admit that our packed family schedules may actually be interfering with our kids? Opportunities to play and be healthy.

But if the dog has to go to the vet at 4:00 and homework and dinner both have to be done before the teacher conference at 7:00, there’s probably not going to be much chance of your youngster working in a nice brisk bike ride, especially if you’ve also got to drop off the dry cleaning and pick up a prescription along the way.

But it’s not an insurmountable problem. It’s just that, as with anything you value, it helps to build in some defenses for the activities you want for your kids? Health and happiness.

Do what you like

While it seems logical and intuitive to get your child involved in something that interests them, you might also want to consider the importance of undertaking an activity that interests you.

Why is that? There are several reasons. Let’s take it from the most basic. Very often, heavy children have heavy parents and if you’ve also got a weight problem you want to tackle, consider that people are often more motivated to help their children than themselves. If you find something that you enjoy and then engage your child in your enthusiasm for the activity, it’s more likely you’ll both participate more often, whether it’s playing tennis or simply sharing a brisk, regular walk and a chat. Your joint participation makes the activity better for the family all around. Your consistency in keeping your child active will arise out of a genuine interest in the particular activity, rather than coming simply from the duty to pursue healthy activity. If it’s something you want to do, your leadership will help keep the child on track.

On the other hand, if you’ve invested a lot of your time and resources to have the kids participate in karate classes, but you end up just sitting and watching, you may enjoy vicarious satisfaction from your child’s participation, but it doesn’t as much for you personally. And many a parent is familiar with the antsy feeling of standing by dutifully waiting for a child’s activity to wrap up, preoccupied by other obligations nagging at our heels. The idle time spent as a spectator of an activity that’s not personally meaningful can begin to feel like wasted time for someone with a huge to-do list. But if you are a keen karate fanatic, even if you’re not participating yourself, your enthusiasm and attention to the activity will show, and will feed your child’s enthusiasm for his own involvement.

When we consider the things that give us joy, and expose our children to those activities, we end up sharing more than a workout.

Family health values

Perhaps the most reliable of defenses is a schedule. You probably have set times for your kids to do certain things. Wake-up is at 7. Bedtime is at 8:30. Piano lessons are at 3:30, but only on Tuesdays. Things that are important get put onto the schedule. Less important things get "worked in" whenever possible. Homework gets done right after school; chores after homework; if kids want to play video games or watch TV, that comes after the necessities are taken care of, right?

More than three quarters of kids get some physical activity in their unstructured ?free time.? But if you just slightly change the family’s perspective on those important activity times, and actually put it on your family’s schedule of essentials, you’re making a statement of values, sending a message to the whole family that physical health is important. A bike ride can still take its place behind other, more time- certain activities like homework, but it should certainly make it onto the schedule ahead of vegging out in front of the television. If it’s a scheduled segment of the day, we find it’s easier for kids to embrace regular activity as a fun responsibility rather than as just another option competing for some of their free time.

Group play

Small children naturally enjoy movement and physical play. In fact, it can be hard to contain their activity sometimes. Nearly 40 percent of kids aged 9 to 13 are involved in team or group activity, but studies show that by the time most American kids are 15, they’re no longer interested in starting sports. But if you’ve already built in a healthy habit, team activities provide excellent support for continuing that habit, because they come couched in their own little social structures of players and parents and other boosters who also appreciate the particular activity involved.

Parents are more likely to make sure a kid gets to practice or shows up for a class or game if the child is involved in a group activity, because we tend to be more accountable and consistent with group activities than independent ones, and the potential for pleasant social contacts offers additional enticement for both parents and kids alike. As with any group endeavor, sporting activity offers kids the opportunity to hone their work ethic, their team spirit, and their dependability. No one wants to let their peers down, so kids learn the importance of following through on their commitments, and parents can reinforce the notion for their kids that the responsibility isn’t only to their team-mates, but actually to their own well-being, too.

And of course, kids bonded through the camaraderie of team sports often form fast friendships, and no exercycle can offer that.

THROUGH THICK & THIN:

You have time for what you make time for. Scheduling your child’s activity time into the day doesn’t mean that it won’t get set aside sometimes anyway, but that sort of dismissal is less likely to happen if it’s on the regular agenda. If you don’t want the work-out to get left out, don’t leave it to just be "worked in."

Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D. is a board certified Family Physician and a board certified Bariatric Physicians (the medical specialty of weight management). She specializes in lifetime weight management at the Cederquist Medical Wellness Center, her Naples, FL private practice, you can also get more information about Dr Cederquist and her weight management plan by visiting www.DietToYourDoor.com

She is the author of Helping Your Overweight Child - A Family Guide, which is available at, DrCederquist.com, Amazon.com, or by calling toll-free 1-800-431-1579.

By Buzzle Staff and Agencies
Published: 9/13/2005 

"Retainer Contact Lenses" Give Children 20/20 Vision
Near-sighted children can now improve their vision using the same technique adults have used for years—hard contacts that gently reshape their corneas to eventually help them obtain perfect eyesight.
"Retainer Contact Lenses" Give Children 20/20 Vision
For decades, adults and teenagers have been wearing contact lenses to improve their vision. Most children or pre-teens have to rely on eyeglasses to help them see better, until they are able to handle contact lenses. Although a person eventually becomes accustomed to wearing them, the fact remains that glasses or contacts are a necessary annoyance, and many people would do anything to rid themselves of the burden. This fact has been proven by the remarkable increase in the frequency and availability of laser surgeries performed in the United States each year to correct vision.

However, there is a simpler, less invasive vision correction that many people have never heard of. The technique is generically referred to as orthokeratology, or ortho-K, and it involves the use of a rigid gas-permeable contact lens that works overnight to improve vision. A doctor takes a special picture of the eye to tailor-make a set of retainers customized for each patient to fit their eyes exactly. The contacts are similar to oral retainers for braces, in that they are worn at night while a person is sleeping. Some manufacturers of the lenses refer to the method as corneal refractive therapy. The rigid plastic of each contact lens works overnight to gently and safely reshape the front surface of the eyeball—the cornea—so that the wearer will have 20/20 vision during the day. The myopia that causes blurred vision is eventually fixed with the overnight wearing of the retainers, as long as the wearer continues to use them. Although the results have proved overwhelmingly successful for several years with adults, optometrists did not know until recently if the contacts would work as well for children.

The idea of using specially designed hard contacts to improve vision isn’t new. Some eye doctors have practiced it for decades with contacts worn daily. However, the procedure had limited appeal and wasn’t well known prior to its approval by the FDA for overnight wear. Now, with safer, more oxygen-permeable materials, the process has grown in safety, effectiveness, and popularity. Part of the reason the retainer lenses are becoming more and more popular for children is easy to understand; children often have very active lifestyles that can be hampered by glasses or contacts. Glasses get in the way of most physical sports such as football, gymnastics, wrestling, and basketball. Contact lenses can be problematic for pre-teen children to handle, and they can’t be worn by anyone while swimming.

While many adults do not have to wear eyeglasses until much later in life, children whose vision is impaired at a young age may have problems with their vision deteriorating as they grow older. However, researches have found that nearsightedness does not progress as rapidly in children who wear corneal refractive lenses. Children place their retainer lenses in at night before they sleep and remove them upon awakening. After a few weeks of wearing their lenses, they obtain clear vision throughout the day. The retainer lenses must be inserted nightly to maintain clarity.

Since it is a relatively new therapy, most insurance plans do not cover eye retainers. The average cost is $2,000.

By Buzzle Staff and Agencies
Published: 3/9/2005