What if my child doesn’t have vision problems- do they still need an eye exam?
YES! Appropriate vision testing at an early age is vital to insure your child has the visual skills he or she needs to perform well in school and some problems are able to be corrected if caught early. A child who is unable to see print or view a blackboard can become easily frustrated, leading to poor academic performance. Often problems aren’t realized until a child is having problems at school. If your child has always seen unclearly they may not even complain about not seeing well as it is “normal” for them.
Why is it important to have regular eye exams?
Regular eye exams are even more critical for children as visual skills are essential for learning and some vision issues can be corrected permanently if treated and modified at an earlier age. While your child is still growing and developing it is easier to correct vision. School aged children and older have most likely completed their vision development so if issues arise that require correction beyond eyewear, the chances of successfully doing so are reduced. Some vision problems, such as lazy eye, are best treated if they are detected and corrected as early as possible while the child’s vision is still developing.
The following visual skills are essential for optimal learning:
- Excellent visual acuity at all distances
- Accurate and comfortable eye teaming skills
- Accurate eye movement skills
- Accurate and comfortable focusing skills
In addition to nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, an eye exam will look for common vision problems of school children such as:
- Lazy eye (amblyopia)- decreased vision in one or both eyes without detectable anatomic damage. Amblyopia is not always correctable with eyeglasses or contact lenses and may require eye patching to strengthen the weaker eye.
- Misalignment of eyes (strabismus)- Crossed or misaligned eyes (strabismus) can have different causes, such as problems with muscle control in the affected eye or eyes. Strabismus is a common cause of amblyopia and should be treated early in childhood so vision and eye teaming skills can develop normally.
- Convergence insufficiency- the inability to maintain eye alignment when viewing near objects. This can cause eye discomfort and even double vision when reading.
- Focusing problems, poor depth perception and color blindness.
- Eye health problems- abnormal or infected eyelash follicles, bumps, eye discharge and swelling as well as cloudiness (opacities) or other irregularities in the cornea or iris.