2021 Eye Healthy Gift Guide

Fans of the classic “Seek and Find” books like Where’s Waldo, “I Spy” or even Dr. Seuss’ Wacky Wednesday, should be happy to know that these activities are great for the eyes. While we may tend to associate them with children, they actually offer benefits to kids and adults alike. Training the eyes to focus in on small details and spot differences strengthens the eye muscles, stimulates the brain’s vision center and improves visual memory. Even though it’s an illustrated book, this 3-D “Seek and Find” seems like a great buy for anyone in the family. The Great Escape Pop-Up Search Book | Kids’ Gift Idea, Reading Education Gift | Uncommon Goods

Coloring books have long been a way to relax and dive into a creative activity with the added benefit that even non-artists could enjoy them. Not everyone likes the feeling of starting with a blank canvas! With the surge in highly detailed, adult-focused coloring books in the last few years, there are now options out there for anyone to enjoy. Even better, coloring books are proven to relieve anxiety, which can have major impacts on your vision. High levels of stress and anxiety can be associated with tunnel vision, blurry vision, eye twitching and more! Here’s one of our favorites that combines coloring with fun architectural scenes to ease some stress. Cities Houses Castles Coloring Book for Adults: City | Etsy

When all else fails, if you are looking for a gift that will bring the family together and help keep everyone’s eyes seeing their best, a good board game is always an option. Shifting back and forth frequently from looking at small pieces and details to larger objects across the table or room, can improve visual acuity (the ability to see objects clearly) and visual fixation (the ability to aim the eyes accurately). Games that move fast can be a particularly good challenge for visual memory as well. If you’re up for a rowdy evening, Throw Throw Burrito is a fast-paced mixture of a board game with a little bit of dodgeball mixed in. Throw Throw Burrito | A dodgeball card game from the creators of Exploding Kittens