As a parent, you may wonder whether your preschooler has a
vision
problem or when you should schedule your child's first eye exam.
Eye exams for children are extremely important, because 5 to 10 percent of
preschoolers and 25 percent of school-aged children have vision problems.*
Early identification of a child's vision problem can be crucial because
children often are more responsive to treatment when problems are diagnosed
early.
For school-aged children, the American Optometric Association (AOA)
recommends an eye exam every two years if no vision correction is required.
Children who need
eyeglasses
or contact lenses should be examined annually or as
recommended by their
optometrist or
ophthalmologist.
To read more about eye exam for children click here.
Early eye exams also are important because children need the following basic
skills related to good eyesight for learning:
Signs of Vision Problems in Children
1. Gets headaches when reading or writing
2. Words
slide together or get blurry when reading
3. Reads
below grade level
4. Loses
place while reading
5. Tilts
head or closes an eye when reading
6. Hard to
copy from the blackboard at school
7. Doesn’t
like reading or writing
8. Leaves
out small words when reading
9. Hard to
write in a straight line
10.
Burning, itching, or watery eyes
11. Hard
to understand what he/she has read
12. Holds
book very close
13. Hard
to pay attention when reading
14. Hard
to finish assignments on time
15. Gives
up easily (says “I can’t” before trying)
16. Bumps
into things, knocks things over
17.
Homework takes too long
18.
Daydreams in class
19. In
trouble for being off task at school
20. Seem
to have difficulty finding or picking up small objects dropped on the floor
(after the age of 12 months)
21. Has
difficulty focusing or making eye contact
22. Eyes
appear to be crossed or turned
23. Closes
one eye when trying to look at distant objects
It’s always a good idea to get your
child’s
eyes checked on an annual or bi-annual basis, but here are some signs you
can look for that may indicate that your child is having vision problems.
If your child is experiencing vision problems,
click here to schedule an appointment for an
eye exam at through our convenient online scheduling feature or visit us at
20/20Eyeglass Superstore.