Back to School
School is around the corner and as your child prepares to start another school year, don’t forget to take care of one of their most important learning tools — their eyes. It’s easy for us to forget about our eyes let alone our child’s, but it is very important to get your child’s eyes checked.
Watch for behavioral changes that may signal vision trouble, for example:
- Talk to your child about their new classroom layout or where they’re sitting to gauge whether they’re having issues seeing.
- Ask them whether their eyes ever feel tired after watching something on a screen.
- Wandering or crossed eyes.
- Experiencing headaches.
- Avoiding near or distance work.
- Covering, closing or rubbing of the eyes.
- Turning or tilting the head.
- Holding objects very close to face.
- Using a finger to maintain place while reading.
- Losing place while reading.
- Losing interest quickly or irritability.
- Omitting or confusing small words when reading.
- Performing below their potential.
It is very critical to ensure healthy eye development and that they have the visual skills necessary for successful learning as 80% of learning occurs through the eyes.
An eye examination looks at complete eye health, and includes tests for the following (in addition to an understanding of patient and family health history):
- Depth perception
- Visual acuity
- Peripheral vision
- Color vision
- Refractive errors (like nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism).
- Eye focusing, tracking and other eye movement abilities.
In Saskatchewan, children under the age of 18, with a valid health card, receive one exam a year for FREE. https://optometrists.sk.ca/childrens-vision/
Call our office and book today!