IS AN EYE EXAM ON YOUR “BACK TO SCHOOL” LIST?

August 18, 2014

With back-to-school already upon us, many parents are thinking about getting their kid’s eyes examined. This is an important step to take to ensure your child is ready to take on the challenges of another school year. Here are some interesting facts about eye health – for ALL ages, courtesy of the Canadian Association of Optometrists web page:

Up to 80% of learning is visual, and as many as one in seven children may have a vision disorder that could affect their performance in school.  Sometimes parents, teachers and even the child may not be aware of any problems with vision. Certainly symptoms such as squinting, headaches, trouble reading for extended periods, and complaints of vision need to be followed up, but what about the child who is struggling through their school year, unaware of any issues with their vision?

This scenario is more common than you might think.  Children, particularly those under the age of 10, often do not notice a vision problem.  They naturally think that everyone sees the way they do, as they have nothing to compare it to.

We often hear comments from parents like “I’m sure she is fine – she can spot things far away a lot sooner than we can”.  This information actually tells us very little about someone’s overall vision capabilities, and actually tells us nothing about the ability for the child to perform complex distance-near focusing or prolonged reading tasks required during the school year.

Check off one of the most important items on your back-to-school list and book your kids in for an eye exam, before the rush starts!

-Dr. Wilk

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