Good eyesight is crucial for a child’s development and plays an important role in: classroom success, cognitive function, development of motor abilities, and development of their personality and individuality. Here are 3 essential facts you need to know about kids vision and the importance of regular children’s eye exams.
Comprehensive Children’s Eye Exams in Calgary
At Sunridge Eye Clinic, we are passionate about vision and offer a wide range of children’s ocular health services including eye exams, contact lens fittings, and eye emergency care, to ensure your little one’s eyesight stays healthy and comfortable for many years to come.
Children’s Eye Care: Important Facts For Parents and Caregivers
Many parents are used to taking their children to the dentist and pediatrician for regular checkups. However, what most parents don’t realize is that children’s eye exams are just as important, even if your child doesn’t wear glasses.
This is important for several reasons, including:
1. Poor Vision Directly Affects Learning
When a child has difficulty focusing or cannot see things clearly, their learning and attention in the classroom will suffer. In fact, the American Optometric Association estimates that approximately 60% of learning disabilities are associated with vision problems.
Symptoms of Vision Problems:
- eye strain and headaches
- avoidance of close work and reading
- tilting the head or using only one eye to read
- rubbing of the eyes often and excessive blinking
- double or blurred vision
- repeating, confusing, or omitting words
- underdeveloped hand-eye coordination
- not keeping up academically or socially with the rest of the class
If your child is suffering from any of the above symptoms, or has not had an eye check up before, then it’s important to schedule a children’s eye exam straight away.
An optometrist can provide an extensive examination that will detect any problems your little one has with their vision and suggest the necessary treatment to ensure your child’s vision stays clear and comfortable.
2. Eye Problems Can Affect Development
Not only can poor vision affect learning and behaviour, but some eye conditions can also affect a child’s physical and neurological development. In particular, eye muscle imbalances (strabismus) can lead to amblyopia.
What is Amblyopia?
Also known as ‘lazy eye’, amblyopia is decreased vision in one or both eyes due to abnormal development of vision during infancy. In many cases, the brain suppresses vision from one eye to avoid seeing double, which can lead to permanent vision loss if untreated.
How to treat Amblyopia
Having regular children’s eye exams can catch and treat problems such as amblyopia early and ensure that there are no long-term negative effects on your little one’s vision.
Some simple treatments for this condition include:
- corrective eyewear (eyeglasses or contact lenses)
- eye patches
- eye drops
- surgery
3. Eye Problems Can Affect Athletic Performance
Eye problems can also affect physical abilities and athletic performance. This is because vision irregularities and eye muscle imbalances can affect depth perception, leading to clumsiness, tripping, and poor hand-eye coordination.
My Child Had A Vision Screening - Do They Need an Eye Exam?
Yes! One of the main reasons why parents fail to schedule regular children’s eye exams is that they’re lulled into a false sense of security since their child passed a vision screening at school or in the pediatrician’s office.
But, there are significant differences between a quick screening and a comprehensive eye exam, including:
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Screenings are quick while eye exams are longer. A screening will last from 3-5 minutes and there is a limit to what can be checked in such a short time. On the other hand, a comprehensive eye exam will last 30-60 minutes and is much more thorough.
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There are no set standards for who performs a screening. By contrast, an eye exam is done by a qualified optometrist who has specialized medical training in the eye and who is more likely to catch and diagnose a vision problem.
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Vision screenings may not test for eye muscle problems while eye exams include a detailed assessment of the eye muscles and of related abilities such as tracking and depth perception.
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Screenings typically don’t include a medical assessment of the eye. During an eye exam, the optometrist can examine the inside of your child’s eye where any serious medical conditions will be evident.
Call Today
To find out more about how our local optometrists can help protect your child’s vision and eye health, contact our Calgary eye clinic today at 403-280-7518 or book a children’s eye exam.
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