Why Pediatric Eye Exams Are Important for Learning

As children are preparing to go to school, most parents are primarily concerned about school supplies, new haircuts, and clothes. There are always a lot of things to be done before school reopens. But, one thing that is often overlooked or forgotten is getting their eyes checked.

 

Children with untreated eye conditions face a lot of problems socially and academically. Thus, it is imperative to consider eye checkups as a part of the checklist before school is back.

 

Children may not know if they have eye problems because they cannot tell when something is wrong. It is, thus, up to you as a parent to monitor your child’s vision. If vision problems are not treated early, they can lead to permanent vision loss, behavioral issues, concentration difficulties, and impaired child development.

 

Some of the signs and symptoms indicating eye problems in your child include:
 

• Eye redness
   

• Itchy eyes
   

• Tearing of the eyes
   

• Squinting
   

• Sitting too close to a television or reading books up close
   

• Light sensitivity
   

• Concentration difficulties
   

• Pupil appearing white instead of black
   

• Abnormal eye alignment or movement
   

• Complaints of persistent headaches
  
   

If you notice any of these signs, it might be a sign that you need to take your child to a pediatric eye exam.

 

Importance of Pediatric Eye Exams

Here are some of the reasons why regular eye checkups are essential for learning.

 

Early Detection

If your child has eye problems, they may feel uncomfortable while reading or playing with other kids. If the vision condition gets detected early enough, then your child could begin undergoing treatment. Otherwise, you might keep stressing why your child is behaving in a certain way only to realize it was vision problems when it is too late.

 

If your family has a history of eye disease, you can take your child to the first pediatric eye exam as young as six months. Otherwise, you can start taking them for eye exams as soon as they start going to school.

 

Prompt Management

Most vision problems can get treated if diagnosed early. Immediate treatment reduces the risk of getting severe eye disease or permanent loss of vision. If your child gets a severe eye disease, it may affect their learning so much to a point they may hate going to school.

 

With regular pediatric eye exams, your optometrist can notice early signs of eye disease and thus treat it before it gets worse.

 

Regular Evaluations

Even if your child is treated for a specific vision condition, it doesn’t mean that you should not revisit the doctor. You need to take your child for regular evaluations to determine if the treatment is working or not. If they have eyeglasses, the doctor can check if there is a need to adjust or change the lens. If not so, your child may have even worse eye problems than before, affecting their school performance.

 

Learn more about pediatric eye exams, contact Primary Vision Care at (740) 299-1155, (740) 393-6010, (937) 382-4933, (513) 897-2211, or(740) 654-9909.