August is Children’s Eye Health Month
As back-to-school approaches, it’s the perfect time to make sure your child’s eyes are healthy and ready for the classroom…
…especially when over 80% of what a child learns is school is visual. It is imperative that the visual system is functioning normally. Plus, some sources indicate that up to 25% of students in grades K through 6 have a vision problem. This is another reason why it is important to be pro-active about your child’s eye health and schedule an exam before problems develop.
What is involved with good vision?
Of course, there is more to vision than just 20/20. It is important for the eyes to focus, accurately track objects, have good eye-hand coordination, process visual perception, work together as a team, and so much more.
What symptoms should I watch out for with my child?
- sitting close to the TV
- holding a book very close
- squinting
- tilting their head
- covering one eye
- short attention span (relative to the child’s age)
- sensitivity to light
- difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination
- headaches, fatigue, or eye strain
- frequent eye rubbing
- excessive blinking
- avoiding near work
- an eye turn inward or outward
- losing place frequently while reading
- difficulty remember what was read (comprehension)
- poor grades in school
But why wait?
Often times, problems can be detected before they are problems by simply taking your child in for regular annual eye examinations. Remember that school screenings are only screenings, and they are not a replacement for eye exams.
Even if no visual problems are found during the eye exam, it is also reassuring to know the internal ocular health is normal!
At Vision Source Mandan, we recommend a child receive their first eye exam at 6 months of age. If no problems are detected, then the next exam should be at age 3 and then at age 5, followed by annual examinations.
Top image by Flickr user WoodleyWonderWorks (location) used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharelike 4.0 License. Image has been cropped and modified from original. Image rights state commercial use and modifications allowed when image was obtained on 08/01/2017.
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.