Optometry Issues And Your Child

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As a parent, your child's visual health is important. Sometimes, it's hard to tell when kids are having trouble seeing, mostly because they don't realize that what they are seeing isn't how it's supposed to look. That's why it's important for parents to know the facts about optometry care and exams for their children. Here's a look at a few key things that your optometrist wants you to know about your child's visual health.

Your Child Doesn't Need To Be Verbal

Sometimes, parents suspect that their child might have a vision problem but they put off the optometry visit because that child isn't yet verbal. After all, you've been to the eye doctor and you had to read the chart. Your child can't do that if they aren't verbal and reading, right?

The fact is that most optometrists have other means of vision assessment with those patients who are either too young to be verbal yet or who have special needs. Understanding that your child doesn't need to be verbal can help you to get them the vision care they need as soon as possible.

School Vision Screening Isn't Enough

As your child approaches school age, you'll find that the school conducts some periodic vision screening. If your child passes this screening, that often is enough for you to decide that there must not be a problem. However, that isn't necessarily true. You may find that your child passes the basic vision screening at the school but still has a vision problem.

Traditional vision screenings at the school just test visual acuity, looking for nearsightedness or farsightedness. There's so much more to vision, including eye-tracking, depth perception, eye coordination, and more. Your optometry specialist can assess these things while a school vision screening cannot.

Eyeglasses Aren't The Only Solution

You might think that your child will just need eyeglasses if the optometrist identifies a vision problem. That only really applies to acuity issues. If your child has an eye-tracking, eye dominance, or depth perception issue, you'll find that your optometrist recommends visual therapy and other measures in place of, or in addition to, those corrective lenses. Make sure that you understand exactly what the optometrist is recommending and why.

These are some of the things that you should understand about optometry care and your child. Talk with a local optometrist today for more information and support, and to schedule an eye exam for your child.


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