By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Staff Writer

The children have been back in school for over a week now. You have completed the back to school shopping, but have you taken the kids in for their back to school eye exams?

Before a child enters school in Georgia, he/she must have an eye exam, but it is important for your child to have annual back to school eye exams, particularly during the growth years.

“A child's vision may experience frequent changes and he or she may not realize a problm exists,” said Dr. Brian Kahn, president of the Georgia Optometric Association. “Problems may range from seeing a blurred chalkboard to reading difficulties and poor concentration stemming from poor eye movement, focusing and coordination.”

There are a number of syptoms that may indicate a vision problem in your child, including a short attention span or frequent daydreaming, a dislike and avoidance of close work, poor hand-eye coordination when copying, throwing, buttoning clothing or tying shoes, a drop in scholastic performance, or frequent eye rubbing, squinting, blinking or headaches.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in school comes through vision. Any visual problem can dramatically affect a child's ability to learn.

The first eye exam should occur whan a child is 3 years old. Through a routine examination, an optometrist can determine if there is a tendency toward nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, lazy eye (amblyopia) or crossed eyes. The second eye exam should be at the age of 5 and should then be followed up annually.

“With today's diagnostic equipment, children do not have to be able to read or even to talk well to have their eyes examined,” explains Kahn. Locating a possible problem early on can prevent difficulties and misdiagnosis early on. Many of the syptoms of poor vision can be attributed to hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, or learning disabilities.

School should be a fascinating and fun environment for children and by eliminating sources of discomfort it can be.

“It is too important not to give every child every advantage to excel in school,” says Kahn. “A child's vision skills are integral to a positive learning experience.”

Back to the Healthwise Home Page Back to the Top of the Page