You never hesitate to call your pediatrician when your child’s sick or allow your mini-me to skip her nightly teeth brushing. After all, your kiddo’s well-being is your top priority. But, did you know that eye exams for children—starting at six-months-old—should be a part of their regular check-up routine? Read on for why you should make vision care a top priority, and five things to ask your optometrist at your next exam.
Why Check Their Vision If There Are No Problems?
If you don’t check their vision, how will you ever know anything is wrong? With one in four kids having an eye condition, yearly check ups are imperative to measure your kiddo’s eye health.
In fact, back-to-school season is a great reminder to get those eyes examined. With 80% of learning happening visually, you’ll want to make sure your kids are ready to tackle everything from reading faraway text in the classroom to participating in sports and extracurriculars safely.
5 Questions to Ask at Your Next Eye Exam
Booking that eye exam is the first step to ensuring your kid’s vision health. We spoke to Dr. Mary Anne Murphy, OD, owner and practitioner of Front Range Eye Association in Denver (she’s also a mom!) to ask her what parents should be aware of and asking at the appointment.
1. If my child requires corrective eyewear, what other options do we have, no or in the future, besides glasses? Is there anything I can do to prevent even greater loss of vision?
2. What are the effects of my child using technology? Should I limit use? Is one device worst or better than others?
3. I’m worried my child may be pretending to a have vision problem or that his/her responses to your questions may not be reliable because glasses are so trendy right now. How can you tell if my child really does has an issue that I need to be concerned about?
4. How important is wearing sunglasses from an early age?
5. Wouldn’t I, or my child’s teacher, know if they had a vision problem? Does a pediatrician visit or school screening accomplish the same thing as an eye exam?
If you need to find an optometrist and book your next appointment, head to VSP and find your doctor.
Does your child have vision problems? Have you taken him or her to an optometrist? Tell us about your child’s eye care in the comments below.
