Your child is back at school, and their eyes are back to work.
School’s only been in session for a few weeks, but already your star student has lost interest in reading, fidgets during homework, or has a hard time reading the board at school. Could it be? Could your child need glasses?
The answer is most likely yes.
Here’s where it gets confusing. Many parents think that because their child passed the vision screening given by the school nurse, their child doesn’t need another eye exam. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. School nurse’s and even medical doctor’s office vision screenings don’t complete all the tests needed to have a comprehensive understanding of your child’s vision. Reading an eye chart from a certain distance can give you a feel for whether or not your child has trouble seeing things far away, but does not test whether or not your child has trouble focusing close up, trouble getting both eyes to work together, or trouble seeing things in their peripheral vision.
The American Optometric Association recommends that school-aged children (ages 6-18) without known visual problems have their eyes examined by a license doctor of optometry at least once every year.
What should I look for if my child is having trouble seeing?
How might you know if your child is experiencing vision problems? Here are a few of the signs that could signal a vision problem:
- A short attention span
- Frequently rubbing eyes or blinking more than usual
- Avoids reading or other close activities
- Frequent headaches
- Covering one eye while doing an activity
- Tilting his/her head to one side
- Holding reading materials very close to his/her face
- One eye turns in or out (looks like a “lazy” eye)
- He/She says they see “double” of everything
- Losing his/her place when reading
- Difficulty remembering what he/she read
If you have noticed one or more of these symptoms and are concerned about your child’s vision, schedule an appointment with an optometrist at your closest America’s Best today!
What to expect at your child’s eye exam
At your child’s visit to an optometrist, the exam will examine for the following:
- Visual acuity: the ability to see clearly in the distance for viewing the chalkboard, at an intermediate distance for the computer and up close for reading a book.
- Eye focusing: assessing how quickly and accurately the child can maintain vision as distance from objects changes (Like looking up at the board and then back to the desk).
- Eye tracking: assessing how well the eyes can follow a moving object.
- Eye teaming: assessing how the eyes work together.
- Eye-hand coordination: assessing the ability to use visual information to direct the hands’ movements.
- Visual perception: often include reading or looking at symbols to assess the child’s ability to see and understand.
Be sure to stop in soon to make sure your child can finish out the semester with crystal clear vision!