Vision Care for Children

As a parent, you may wonder whether your child has a visual problem or when it would be appropriate for your child to have first eye examination. Early identification of a child's vision problem can be crucial because children often are more responsive to treatment when they are diagnosed early.

Young children with vision problems often don’t know the world is different from the way they see it, since they may have never seen clearly. Vision problems are treated more successfully during the growth and development of a child’s visual system. By the time a child reaches 7 to 8 years of age, their visual system completes its development and hence a delayed eye examination can spell trouble.

An appropriate eye examination of a child at an early age is vital in terms of how well a child performs in school. A child who is unable to see print or view a blackboard can become easily frustrated, fatigue thus leading to poor performance in school work. Some vision problems, such as lazy eye, must be detected and corrected as early as possible while the child's vision system is still developing.

To start a new academic year at School, your child needs:

• New School Bag.
• New Books.
• New Lunch Box.
• New pair of Shoes.
• New set of pens, pencils with eraser.
• An Eye Examination.

A timely, comprehensive eye exam by a qualified eye care professional is key to discovering vision difficulties in children. Parents and teachers should watch for any tell tale signs of possible vision problems:

• Squinting, closing or covering one eye; excessive blinking or rubbing of the eyes.
• Dislike and/or avoidance of close work.
• Placing the head close to a book when reading;
• Complaints of headaches, nausea and dizziness; excessive clumsiness.
• Turning or tilting the head to one side.