Vision problems of school-aged children

Children are susceptible to vision problems that may affect their ability to learn. A study made by the College of Optometrists shows that over 25 percent of school students may have vision problems. School children spend much time reading and playing, so that eye care for them is more urgent.

Negative signs linked with eye use

You should check whether your kid has any kind of the following refractive errors. Some kids prefer to sit close to TV set or hold books up close to the eyes. These are some of the bad habits that lead to nearsightedness at a high probability. In addition, some kids are used to use a finger to follow the print while reading. This indicates that they have difficulty in reading clearly with the eyes’ help alone.

Some other warning signals of children’s eye problems

Those warning signals also include squinting, tilting the head to see better, frequent eye rubbing, sensitivity to light, excessive tearing, complaining of tired eyes or headaches, getting lower grades and closing one eye to read or see better. Computer use is not recommended because it can make some damage to children’s eyes. Activities that require lasting near-vision or distance-vision focus need to be avoided as well.

Be aware of vision-related learning disabilities

Another concern in school-age children is learning disabilities. Though difference in learning is not so obvious until later school years, it is sometimes caused by a visual problem. Parents must be alert enough of their school-aged children’s vision-related learning disabilities. If your child can not verbally express himself, consistently mistakes his left for his right side or experience some other learning disabilities, you need to consult your eye care practitioner for the exact reason.

Eye exams can detect students’ refractive errors

If your kid has any of the above signs, you should make an appointment with an eye care practitioner. With the eye exam you can make sure that whether your child has any vision problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Any one of these refractive errors will cause students to complaint while watching the blackboard or doing homework. In particular, myopia is the commonest vision problem and it deserves parents’ right attention.

Eye exam intervals for different children

Children should have an eye exam by the age of six months, then again by age three according to the American Optometric Association. School-aged children need to take an exam every two to three years. This interval is set for students with healthy eyesight. For those unfortunate eyewear users, annual prescription changes following eye exams are very necessary due to the rapid development of vision system.

Periodic comprehensive eye exams are needed by children

When your kid takes an eye exam, you should make sure that it is a comprehensive eye exam. Vision screenings may be helpful in alerting parents to the possibility of a vision problem, but sometimes they may miss serious problems. Studies have shown that 11.3 percent of children were not found any vision problems after they took vision screening. Even those parents whose kids have got some vision problems detected by vision screening pay very little attention to follow-up treatment. Some kids may not need to take vision screenings. As a caring parent, you should always schedule a complete, periodic eye exam for your kid.