As a parent, you want to give your child the best of everything. This includes ensuring that they experience the best of what’s in and out of the classroom. One way you can do this is to give them the best start in life by ensuring that they have good eyesight.

 

Good eyesight and healthy eyes are crucial in ensuring kids develop to their full potential. This includes academic, social, physical, and even psychological development throughout early childhood. Identifying a vision problem early can make a huge difference in a child’s life.

 

Vision Problems in Kids

According to research, a shockingly high percentage of school-aged kids have an undiagnosed and untreated vision problem. As a parent, you need to know that some eye problems do not show any signs or symptoms in their early stages.

 

Thus, it is never too late or early to take your little one for an eye exam. Your pediatric eye doctor may identify and address certain vision or eye conditions that negatively affect your child’s development.

 

Does Your Child Have a Vision/Eye Problem?

As stated above, many eye conditions do not display early signs or symptoms. To ensure that your little one’s eye system is healthy, you need to take him/her for regular comprehensive eye tests. Some of the signs that may indicate an eye or vision problem in your child include:

 

• Frequent eye rubbing
   

• Difficulty concentrating
   

• Sitting too close to the TV or computer
   

• Frequent headaches
   

• An eye that appears to drift outward or inward
  
   

Are In-School Vision Screenings Enough?

Are you hoping that the in-school vision screenings your little one undergoes are enough to ensure vision health? Of course, in-school vision screenings mean well and are quite important. Sometimes, however, they may miss the mark.

 

What Are In-School Vision Screenings?

Many schools in the United States conduct vision screenings. These usually involve basic tests meant to identify reduced vision in a child’s eyes. They are quite limited, so they are not a substitute for an all-inclusive eye exam performed by a trained and licensed eye doctor.

 

As a parent, you should not rely on in-school vision screenings completely. They can only uncover certain vision problems, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, severe lazy eye, and a few others. Unfortunately, it is difficult to identify many of the most common and serious eye conditions experienced by kids.

 

Passing an in-school vision screening, therefore, does not mean that your child has healthy eyes and perfect vision. This incorrect assumption can prevent the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of a wide range of serious vision conditions. Other limitations of in-school vision screenings include inadequate testing equipment/environment and untrained testing personnel.

 

Eye Exams

Regular and comprehensive eye exams are the most effective way to ensure visual and ocular health. Undetected vision or ocular conditions in childhood can significantly affect your child throughout his/her life.

 

Unfortunately, most vision problems do not disappear. Kids with undetected and untreated eye problems often experience serious difficulties, worsening as they grow into adults. According to the American Optometrists Association, parents should take their kids for comprehensive eye exams before starting school.

To understand the difference between eye exams and in-school vision screenings, visit Optical Masters at our offices in Denver, Colorado. You can call (720) 807-7300 or (720) 807-7600 today to schedule an appointment.