August is National Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, so it’s time to get the little ones’ eyes checked out. With school back in session for most, now is the perfect time for an eye exam. Children with vision problems don’t always speak up about their problems, and often times it will comes across as misbehaving in class or poor showings in the classroom. A regular eye exam can eliminate many of these issues and help your children to focus on the chalkboard, and not the fact they can’t see the board.
Infants and Eye Screenings
Children should have regular eye exams, regardless of age. It is suggested that children under the age of five should be regularly screened to catch early vision problems. Parents are encouraged to have their newborn’s eyes checked before they leave the hospital. These early screenings can help catch congenital eye problems, which can create problems down the road. Many of these problems can be corrected with glasses.
Children and Eye Screenings
It is thought that as children, we have perfect vision, but this is not always the case. Since vision changes as we age, children should be receiving eye exams to monitor any changes and developments of vision. With each pediatric annual check, your children should also be scheduled to receive an eye examination to ensure that no vision problems or congenital eye problems exist. Vision does change every year, so it is important to schedule these exams, to catch any negative changes to sight. If vision has decreased, corrective glasses may be necessary.
Most times, children will begin to perform poorly in school or act out when in class. In the past, teachers and parents have attributed this behavior to laziness or disinterest in school, or even to learning disabilities. However, in recent years, more and more of these instances are being attributed to poor vision quality. A regular eye exam will help identify the problem, if the problem is indeed vision related. Eye exams and corrective eye wear can help the overall eye health of your children and help their performance in school as well.
Teenagers and Eye Screenings
Teenagers are not exempt from these screenings either. Teenagers should have their eye exams each year before the start of term. Since teenagers are more active in sports, eye injuries increase and can potentially cause eye damage, leading to vision loss. Optometrists suggest that children and teens who participate in sports where protective eyewear to prevent unnecessary eye injury that can permanently damage the eye and cause vision loss.
In fact, children and adults should get regular eye exams to monitor the overall health of the eye and if there is any potential vision distortions. When scheduling your child’s physicals, be sure to schedule an eye exam for them. This will help to maintain your child’s overall eye health and help prevent vision loss down the road.