Have you scheduled your child’s annual eye exam yet?
It seems as though summer just began and already it’s time to go back to school. Where did the time go? As you make your check-list of what needs to get done for school starting, make sure that you include scheduling appointments for comprehensive vision exams for your children.
Vision is a crucial element of your child’s learning and development. In fact, 80 percent of everything a child learns, understands, and remembers is acquired through vision.1
Vision and learning are closely connected, yet the vision screenings done at schools are not sufficient enough to diagnose eyesight problems that children often have. Reading the 20/20 line in an eye exam is only one of 17 visual skills needed for learning.2
“A comprehensive eye exam evaluates these skills and a number of additional skills that are critical to a child’s ability to learn.” —Vision Council “Making the Grade?” 2009 Study
Signs that your child may have or experience vision problems are: 2
- Squinting, closing or covering one eye
- Constantly holding materials close to the face
- Tilting the head to one side
- Rubbing eyes repeatedly
- One or both eyes turn in or out
- Redness or tearing in eyes
Correctable vision issues can be misdiagnosed as learning disabilities, ADHD, or even dyslexia.
“A child with undetected vision problems may display an inability to pay attention in class or follow written instructions, miss words that they know, or avoid near-viewing work altogether. While these symptoms may indicate a learning difficulty, eye experts note that these symptoms could also indicate an undetected vision problem. Given the similarities, it is important for children to receive an eye exam to rule out a vision problem prior to receiving an individual education plan (IEP).”—Vision Council “Making the Grade?” 2009 Study
At Ophthalmic Consultants of the Capital Region, we start doing children’s comprehensive eye exams at age 6. Please call us to make an appointment at (518) 274-3123.
1. USA. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Visual Impairment and Use of Eye-Care Services and Protective Eyewear Among Children. By M. F. Cotch. 17th ed. Vol. 54. 2002. 425-429.
2. USA . Vision Council. Making the Grade? 2009 Study.
