http://www.azcentral.com/health/kids/articles/0130lowdown0130kidseyes.html

Protecting your children's eyesight

Jan. 30, 2006 12:00 AM

Sending your kids out the door with their sunglasses on is one of the best things you can do to protect their eyes, but it's just the start, says naturopathic physician Matthew Baral. He's an assistant professor of nutrition and pediatrics at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Tempe.

Baral recommends giving your kids snacks such as cantaloupe, carrots and sweet potatoes. They're good sources of beta-carotene, which reduces the risk for vision problems in adulthood.

Studies have found, for example, that people who don't eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day are five to 13 times more likely to develop cataracts.

And if your kids come home from school with conjunctivitis, or pink eye, ask their doctor about supplementing traditional treatment with a rue-fennel compound found in some health stores and herbal pharmacies. The herbal eyewash "soothes inflamed tissues, eases the itching and helps keep the eye moist," Baral says.

- Connie Midey