With summer vacation now at its end, it’s time for your children to dust off their backpacks and head back to school. There’s a lot that needs to be done beforehand. You’ve probably already purchased school supplies, finalized a routine and organized a fall wardrobe. But have you scheduled a back-to-school eye exam?
If not, you should!
Back-to-school eye exams can help to ensure a healthy start to the academic year for your children. Vision problems are typical among children and adolescents, but often go unnoticed simply because they don’t realize their eyesight is abnormal until serious damage has already been done. It’s important to catch any issues early.
Just think about it. Every time your child goes to read, write, or even observe a lesson at the front of the class, they’re relying on their eyesight. So, when vision problems go untreated, they can cause excessive strain on the eye that negatively affects both their cognitive and social development. In addition, eye problems are often associated with migraines, ADHD and other learning disorders that can impact performance at school.
As a parent, the last thing you want for your child is a rough start to the school year. But on the bright side, eye exams aren’t hard to schedule or complete, and typically don’t last longer than an hour. It’s easy to get done!
PREPARING FOR THE EXAM
Your child should know exactly what they are walking into prior to the exam. Sometimes, the optometry equipment used in an exam can come across as intense or intimidating to young children and cause apprehension, so offer to go with them into the exam room. Before the appointment, make sure they understand why the doctor will need to dilate their eyes, and that the ensuing blurriness isn’t permanent. Provide examples of the tasks they’ll be asked to complete – such as identifying letters, shapes or pictures from an LED screen or following a red laser pointer from side to side.
Tired eyes won’t perform well! Book an appointment time where they’ll be well-rested, and if they end up needing glasses, allow them to select a pair that they’re comfortable with. This will help smoothen the transition of wearing them to school.
This blog has provided a basic overview of the importance of back-to-school eye exams. If you have additional questions related to your specific health needs and concerns, just let us know! At Everett and Hurite, we aim to empower our patients with the information they need to address their specific vision care needs. Contact us and set up an appointmenttoday!
