185: Your Child’s Eyes Need Care Too! (with Dr. Neda Gioia)

When it comes to functional medicine or whole body health, we often realize that everything is connected – BUT when is the last time your eye doctor asked you about nutrition?

Dr. Neda Gioia joins me today to do just that, and truly opened my eyes (ha! Yes, pun intended!) to the interconnectivity of our eye health and our diets and lifestyle.

Did you know that nearsightedness is taking such a marked uptick in the last 1-2 decades that there’s a whole subspecialty of optometry where there wasn’t one before? We don’t know exactly WHY this is happening, but Dr. Gioia and I explore a few possibilities (and how to reverse and/or mitigate them for your families!).

Bottom line – you need this interview if:

• your kids have never had a real eye exam (or if you don’t know the difference between an exam and a screening)
• your kids have any sort of learning difficulty
• your family isn’t a huge fan of greens (or if you still think carrots are the best eye food)
• your kids (or adults in the fam) spend more than 20 minutes in a sitting on screens

I love how practical Dr. Gioia’s advice is, and I know you’ll love it too!

Can’t see the video? Watch Functional Eye Health here on YouTube!

No time for the video? Here are the notes!

Functional Eye Care for Kids

• 0:17: We’ve never talked about this topic before on the Healthy Parenting Connector! I’m chatting today with Dr. Neda Gioia about eye health. 
• 2:53: I’ve never heard of an eye doctor with a functional medical degree. Dr. Gioia shares her story with us.
• 5:56: What is the difference between functional eye care and what you can get at any local eye doctor? Because Dr. Gioia is trained in multiple areas of health, she provides nutritional advice for whole body health. 

Eye Exams Vs. Vision Screenings

• 7:35: Do you know the difference between a screening and exam? Your child may get a screening at school or a pediatrician, but that’s not an exam. The vast majority of parents don’t know that it’s recommended that children have 3 eye exams before they enter grade school!

Eye exams are different than screenings – kids should get regular eye EXAMS. -Dr. Neda Gioia

• 8:52: A vision screening checks whether a child can see or not, usually at a distance. In an exam things like how the eyes work together, close up vision and eye health are checked. 
• 10:05: If a child is having any difficulty in school, have their vision checked!

• 11:37: Dry eye is becoming more of an issue in children. Looking at screens and increased inflammation are some of the possible causes. Find out a common root cause of inflammation here!

Screen Time and Eye Health

• 14:39: Let’s talk technology. Due to the prevalence of screens nearsightedness has increased and that increases your risk for other ocular diseases later in life. 

The earlier you start teaching your kids about nutritional value and density the better. -Dr. Neda Gioia

• 17:23: We need to look at our lifestyle as a whole to mitigate these increased risks. We don’t spend as much time outside, we don’t eat homecooked meals at home and we’re constantly on the go. This isn’t healthy for any body system including ocular health. 

• 20:35: Lutein and zeaxanthin neutralize blue light! These antioxidants are powerhouses when it comes to eye health. Here’s a bit about my experience with blue light glasses. 
• 21:19: We talk about screen time for kids. Dr. Gioia says splitting screen time up and adding breaks is key for eye health. About 20 minutes at a time before a break is a good metric. Remind your kids to blink when they’re looking at screens. 

An infant’s eyes are so clear and fresh that light from screens is quite harmful! -Dr. Neda Gioia

Diet and Lifestyle for Healthy Eyes

• 24:45: Some of the best foods for eye health are green leafy vegetables, bell peppers and egg yolks. 
• 25:54: Dr. Gioia weighs in on blue light-blocking glasses. The best practice is to reduce blue light for about 3 hours before bedtime so you don’t disrupt melatonin production.
• 30:36: We talked about greens being good for eye health, how can we make dark leafy greens more palatable for kids? Here’s a green smoothie recipe and a homemade green powder recipe.
• 33:31: We end with a super practical step you can take action on today!

Resources We Mention for Eye Health

• Find out a common root cause of inflammation here
• Here’s a bit about my experience with blue light glasses
• Here’s a green smoothie recipe and a homemade green powder recipe
• Find Dr. Gioia’s clinic here
• Consulting with Dr. Gioia
• Follow Dr. Gioia on social media: Instagram, Facebook
• Dr. Gioia’s nutritional program SEEHealth

Dr. Neda Gioia, OD, CNS® FOWNS, is a licensed optometrist with over 15 years of clinical experience spanning 3 states. Dr. Gioia added a functional medicine certification to her Biology and Psychology degrees from Rutgers and her Optometry doctorate from SUNY. She achieving a fellowship in the Ocular Wellness and Nutrition Society and is currently a board member. She furthered her education by completing her Certified Nutrition Specialist certification and completed modules through the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM).

She is the founder of Integrative Vision, an optometry practice with a special emphasis on nutritional interventions and preventative modalities for eye health. Her approach to eye care involves treating the body and optimizing her patients’ foundation. With sight being such a high-level sense, Dr. Gioia believes one should maximize ways to improve quality of vision and reduce ocular disease risks. Her goal is to heal, educate, and, ultimately, empower her patients to achieve better health and a better life.