Seeing Well Is Important to Kids!

Thanks to Monica Beyer, writer, for including our great optometric resource by Dr. Andrea Thau, the AOA Spokesperson:

When A Visit To The Eye Doc Is In Order

SheKnows.com| Monica Beyer | 09/06/2012

Here is a short part of the article:

“Seeing well is important for kids — it’s how they learn, interact and grow emotionally as well as socially. If your child has a vision problem, you don’t have to wait for the school nurse to tell you. There are certain clues you can look for at home, and eye doctors recommend taking your child for a yearly exam, even in the absence of symptoms.

What clues to look for “Every child should have an eye exam when school starts — or earlier if a problem is noted.”

It can be difficult to ascertain when a child might need glasses. Board certified ophthalmologist Niki Silverstein, M.D., knows how good vision is especially important in children entering school. “It’s hard to know when your children need glasses because they think what they are seeing is normal,” she explained. “If they’ve never seen any way else, how would they know?” Silverstein adds that a good test for a parent to do, although by no means a replacement for professional testing, is to see if a child can read or see distant signs in the past while driving in a car. She states, “Every child should have an eye exam when school starts — or earlier if a problem is noted.”

American Optometric Association (AOA) spokesperson and optometrist, Dr. Andrea Thau, also provided us with a comprehensive list of signs that parents can look for that may prompt a visit to an eye doctor. “Parents play an important role in looking out for certain behaviors and warning signs that could indicate a problem that may have developed in between eye exams,” she shared. “Keeping a close eye on changes in their child’s behavior is the best way to detect warning signs that the child may suffer from an undiagnosed vision problem.”

By Dr. Lynn Hellerstein, Colorado Optometrist in Vision Therapy, Hellerstein & Brenner Vision Center PC