This post was sponsored by Think About Your Eyes as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. All thoughts and opinions are completely my own.
Eye Exams for Children: What Parents Need To Know. Did you know that 5% to 10% of preschoolers and 25% of school-aged children have eye problems? Read on for more statistics and schedule an eye exam for your child this fall.
My daughter loves to read. It doesn’t matter what time of day it is or what time of night – she needs to get in some reading each and every day.
So when she stopped reading this past spring, I grew concerned. At first, I thought it was due to a lack of fresh reading material. So I took her to the library and had her stock up on some new books. Usually, she dives right in her stack as soon as we get home. But not this time. Instead, the pile stayed by her bedside untouched for days.
I was concerned because that’s just so unlike her. But it was spring and pollen was everywhere, so I just assumed it was her allergies.
The next week, I got a phone call from the school nurse, who I adore.
“Mrs. Regan. Everything is fine. Abbey’s okay. I just wanted to talk to you about her eye screening…”
Wait. What?
I was completely caught off guard. I knew they did screenings in school, but what did it have to do with my daughter? She never complained about not being able to see the board. She never complained about fuzzy vision. She never said anything about her eyes.
But, that’s the whole point.
Kids don’t always know if they have a vision problem. Not every vision problem is as black-and-white as not being able to see the chalkboard. Some are way more subtle. Like getting headaches.
I felt so awful.
As parents, we want the best for our children. And we always want to make sure that they’re healthy. So imagine how I felt when I found out that I had missed the mark on this one?
I was still pretty shocked when my daughter got home from school, so I sat down with her at the kitchen table and tried to figure out how I had missed this.
When I asked her if she could see the whiteboard, she shrugged and said, “Sometimes.”
When I asked her if she had trouble reading, she said, “Only if the words are too small.”
When I asked her why she didn’t tell me about it, she said, “I thought everyone saw this way.”
Oh. She thought everyone saw the same way she did – with fuzzy vision.
She thought everyone saw the same way she did – with fuzzy vision.
This is why I’m talking to you today. To share our story and to let you know that:
August is Eye Exam Awareness Month.
Your children may not know that anything is wrong with their vision because like my daughter, they may just think it’s “normal.” So don’t be like me and find out from a school screening that your child is having difficulties seeing – schedule a comprehensive eye exam this fall to any identify issues before they cause problems.
EYE EXAMS FOR CHILDREN: WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW
- Approximately 80% of everything children learn comes through their eyes, yet 86% of children do not receive a comprehensive eye exam during that period.
- Experts say 5% to 10% of preschoolers and 25% of school-aged children have eye problems. Early identification of a child’s vision problems is crucial as, if untreated, can cause permanent vision loss.
- Nearly 24% of parents wait for their child to have symptoms before taking them to an eye doctor.
- ½ of parents falsely believe only children who need glasses or contacts need to see an eye doctor.
- Only 40% of parents feel that an eye exam is a key part of a child’s healthy checkup schedule, yet roughly 80% say an annual trip to the dentist and pediatrician are essential.
Think About Your Eyes is a national public awareness campaign that promotes the benefits of eye health, urging people to get annual comprehensive eye exams. Together, we want you to know that by getting an annual comprehensive eye exam, children’s eye problems can be detected at their early stages when they’re most treatable and before it poses a challenge for them in school.
Visit the Think About Your Eyes eye care professional locator to find an eye doctor near you and schedule an exam.
Set your children up for success by prioritizing their eye health,
Denine
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