For most American parents, taking their child in for a yearly checkup with their doctor and dentist is considered a core part of their health care regime. A yearly vision check with an optometrist is also a vital appointment that should be attended, yet around 85% of preschoolers haven’t had an eye exam, and less than 22% have had proper vision screening before starting school.
Generally, infants have their eyes tested at birth, but as a child’s vision changes and develops rapidly over their first few years, it’s important for them to have regular vision checks. Here are four reasons why a visit to the eye doctor should become a yearly routine for you and your children.
1. Poor Vision Impacts a Child’s Education
Around 20% of American school children have issues with their vision. If left undiagnosed and untreated, this can have a disastrous impact on their educational outcomes. Their ability to read books and work on the blackboard, participate in sport and recreation activities, and socially interact can all be compromised by vision problems.
If unidentified and untreated, a child with vision issues can find themselves falling behind their classmates in their learning. They may even become labelled as a problem student or be seen to have learning problems. These factors can lead to social issues, behavioral problems, and a general dislike for school and learning.
Unfortunately, many children, especially younger ones, can’t identify vision issues as the cause of their misfortune at school. No matter how poor their vision may be, it is normal to them. Therefore, a yearly check by an optometrist is vital. Identifying and correcting vision problems early can prevent the negative impact they have on your child’s education.
2. Early Disease Detection Provides Better Outcomes
Unfortunately, children, as well as adults, are susceptible to many diseases of the eye. Many are treated simply and effectively with medicine, but others may need more extensive and invasive treatment. Some diseases may be very apparent to parents and caregivers, but others may only be detected during regular eye checks by your optometrist.
Unfortunately, many eye problems and diseases can worsen over time if untreated. This can make them more difficult, costly, and invasive to treat and in some cases, may cause irreversible damage to your child’s vision. Early detection and intervention will improve the health outcome for your child.
While fortunately rare, there are children’s cancers that can also be detected during eye exams with your optometrist. Retinoblastoma is cancer of the eye and can be difficult to detect early without regular vision checks.
Brain tumors and neuroblastoma are two of the most common forms of cancer in children. Both can cause problems with vision and changes in the eyes which can be picked up by professionals. As with all cancers, these types of childhood cancers are more treatable and less life-threatening if detected in their early stages.
3. Easier Acceptance of Vision Aids
For an older child, finding out that they need glasses can seem like a horrific and socially disastrous occasion. They may hate the idea of wearing glasses because of the way they look, or they may find it very hard to adjust to the physical sensation of wearing glasses on their face. Either way, you may have a battle on your hands trying to get them to put them on and keep them on.
The earlier you can introduce your child to the idea of wearing glasses, the better. Younger children are generally more accepting of new things, and will more readily adjust to their new accessories. By the time they have reached school age, they should view their glasses as essential and as normal as wearing a hat, coat, or shoes.
4. Early Checks Can Encourage an Appreciation for Good Eye Health
Caring for your eyes and vision is as vital for your child’s long-term health and wellbeing as other aspects of holistic health, such as dentistry, nutrition, and exercise. By showing your child that their eyes are important with regular vision checks, you’re providing them with the foundations of a lifelong respect for these very important organs.
Their eye doctor can also provide them with age appropriate advice to help keep their eyes safe from injury and disease. Often children take more notice of this sort of safety advice when it’s delivered by a health professional instead of their parents.
If your children haven’t had regular checkups with an optometrist, then it’s important to make an appointment as soon as possible. The friendly team at your local All About Eyes store will provide your children with a professional and thorough vision test that will set your mind at ease.
You can find the nearest store to your home on our website, and you can even book your appointments online. If you have any further questions about booking an appointment or what to expect on the day of, then the staff at your local store will happily answer them over the phone.