How to Care for a Child With Visual Impairment

Provide your child with prescription eyeglasses or an eye patch if her eye doctor advises use. Follow the doctor's instructions carefully for when to use the sight aid. Also give your child any prescribed medications. When used early on, such treatments often improve vision and can help prevent further degeneration.

Enlist the help of an orientation and mobility specialist. These professionals train your child to adapt to her visual impairment and successfully navigate a world she has trouble seeing. Such training, from as early on as possible, helps your child manage as well as possible and reach her full potential.

Work with an occupational therapist if your child displays tactile defensiveness or a hesitancy or refusal to explore the environment through touch. Don't force your child to physically interact with things she doesn't want to, as she needs to have control over her sensory stimulation.

Add extra lights around the house if your child is able to see better with increased illumination. Install dimmer switches if your child benefits from control over the brightness in a room. Also, try to prevent drastic changes in lighting from room to room with consistent use of lights and by opening or closing blinds as appropriate.

Affix small, textured markers like bits of Velcro to walls near stairs and in other appropriate places and teach your child where they're located. This will help her get oriented while running her hand along. This will also help to prevent accidents.

Talk to your child in a conversational manner about what's going on so she feels included and has cues and clues to know what's happening. Use descriptive language.

Keep cabinet, closet and room doors either completely open or completely closed to facilitate navigation and prevent injuries.

Cover corners on furniture, cabinet doors and other potential sources of injury with furniture padding.

Make sure the floors are always clear of tripping hazards. Keep walk ways open and objects off the floors. If you have area rugs, make sure no corners are curled up and that there aren't any rumples. Don't regularly rearrange items like end tables, ottomans, chairs or other small furniture. If your child is hesitant to cross large open spaces, provide her with easily navigated paths along walls through big rooms.

Ask your child if she needs help before rushing in to 'rescue' her. She needs the opportunity to work through challenges and to do things on her own. However, make sure she always knows someone trustworthy is nearby to help her when needed.

Stick to routines for familiarity and comfort. This includes the little things, like always putting the right shoe on first, and bigger things like a consistent order to the tasks involved in getting ready for bed.

Orient your child by referring to where things are in relation to parts of her body. For example, don't say "The fork is in front of you." Instead, say "The fork is at the edge of the table in front of your left hand."

Store toys and other items your child wants regular access to in one particular spot that's easily in reach. Return items where your child knows to find them. A toy chest or bins on low, secure shelves work well. Use braille or other textured labeling methods to identify bin contents.