Why Children Need Back To School Eye Exams

Young children need both their auditory and visual skills intact for learning. If there is a vision problem, they may not even realize it. They may think what they see is “normal” vision. Will they be able to communicate what is wrong, or will they just be silent or afraid to speak up? This is but one reason why children need back to school eye exams.

Don’t Wait For Problems To Show Up

As a parent, be proactive when it comes to your children. Don’t wait until your child’s schoolwork begins to decline. Get ahead of any problems by scheduling a vision screening or examination each school year. Just because they had great vision last year doesn’t mean that will necessarily continue. Children are growing and things can change.

You wouldn’t let your child begin the little league football season without the tools they need for success. If they need glasses to read or see the board, they could be without the proper tools to learn.

Watch For Certain Behaviors

Does your child blink a lot? Do they turn their head while watching TV or looking at something? Do they complain of headaches? Do their eyes feel fatigued after reading? Do they squint? Are their eyes misaligned like turning inward or outward? Does one of their eyelids droop?

These behaviors indicate your child needs an eye examination.

Screening vs. Comprehensive Eye Exam

Although a short screening is better than nothing, don’t rely on it to sufficiently give you the full picture of your child’s vision. However, if they fail a vision screening, they definitely need to have a full exam.

A comprehensive eye exam by a pediatric ophthalmologist like Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus Associates will provide an evaluation of common eye issues like whether your child needs glasses. It will also be able to diagnose any common eye diseases and if the eyes are working together.

Other reasons to have a comprehensive eye exam include:

• Your child was premature
• If your family has a history of eye diseases or problems like strabismus
• Issues with diabetes, developmental delay, sickle cell disease, or a previous eye injury

Undiagnosed vision issues can lead to problems in school and sports as well as increase the risk for injury.