Frequently Asked Questions
1. When should an infant have their first eye exam?
By 6 months of age your baby's eyes should be working together to form 3 dimensional vision in their brain. Much of normal child development depends on vision to guide and lead. While vision problems are usually not noticed by parents, eye movement skills, eye alignment, refractive error and eye health are all easy to assess by an optometrist. We recommend that all children be seen by 6 months and yearly thereafter. If your baby is at high risk for vision problems or if you've noticed something unusual they should be seen as early as possible.
2. If neither parent's wear eye glasses is it safe to assume a child won't need glasses either?
While some vision traits -both good and bad- can run in the family, there is no way to ensure efficient, healthy vision without a comprehensive eye exam. Children are usually unaware that they have a problem with vision as they have nothing to compare to. It's important to have your child's eyes examined by a professional.
3. Does my toddler have to know the alphabet to have an eye exam?
No. Most aspects of vision can be tested without verbal responses. Kids don't need to know letters, numbers, or even speak to have a comprehensive eye examination. They don't even have to sit for long. Although the methodology of an infant or toddler eye exam is different than an adult one, the same information can be obtained. There is no such thing as being too young to have your eyes checked.
4. My child is having challenges in school. Could the problem be more than laziness?
Avoidance of bookwork and below-expected school performance is often an indicator of a vision problem. Reading, writing, and computer work are much more taxing on the eyes than people realize. Vision problems often develop as adaptations to the extra effort. Help ensure your child's success by keeping their faces at least 30 cm from books or computer monitors. Encourage vision breaks by focusing far away every 15 minutes or so. Vision therapy is often used to resolve difficulties with reading, writing, and math skills.
5. Do children grow out of “crossed eyes” or “lazy eyes”?
Eye alignment problems (strabismus) are often noticed during the infant or toddler stages. The eyes may not be teaming together to see the 3 dimensional world that many take for granted. It is much more than a cosmetic concern as an eye turn can indicate an impaired spatial awareness, difficulties with body coordination, or serious health problem. Many cases of strabismus are treatable with eyeglasses or vision therapy. Even if noticed only occasionally, an eye turn should not be ignored. Most do not get better without intervention.
Many vision problems do show signs or behaviors that are noticed by parents, teachers and other caregivers. However, these signs are not always linked to vision challenges. As well, many serious impairments of vision development and eye health give only subtle signs or symptoms. Vision screenings at school or at your family doctor's office cannot offer the thoroughness of an eyecare professional.
6. Can I tell if my child has a vision problem?
Many vision problems do show signs or behaviors that are noticed by parents, teachers and other caregivers. However, these signs are not always linked to vision challenges. As well, many serious impairments of vision development and eye health give only subtle signs or symptoms. Vision screenings at school or at your family doctor's office cannot offer the thoroughness of an eyecare professional.
7. What is Vision Therapy? Is it invasive?
Vision Therapy can help treat Eye turns (strabismus). Strabismus occurs in about 5% of children and may be genetically linked. In most cases the eyes do not team together due to poor neurological control. Much as hands and fingers have to work together to perform a task like printing, the eyes have to work together to gather information about the world effectively. These abilities are usually learned during normal child development. If the skills are lacking, they can be taught.
Eye turns are often treated with glasses, contacts, eye patching, and vision therapy. In some cases eye alignment surgery is appropriate if appearance is the only concern. This approach is unlikely to resolve the underlying brain issues however.
8.
What is “lazy eye” and can you use the other eye to compensate?
No . Many vision problems have been called ‘lazy eye'. Most commonly it refers to amblyopia, a condition where the brain uses limited input from one of the eyes. Definition of Amblyopia: Usually thought of as reduced eyesight but it may also involve eye movements, spatial perception, body coordination and other issues.
While vision may be fine with the other eye, there is no 'compensation.' Someone with amblyopia makes adaptations with their disability. They don't perform as well as they would with equal input from both eyes. Amblyopia is not correctable with glasses alone. It has a number of causes. It is common and often runs in families. Management may include glasses, contacts, eye patching, and vision therapy.
9. Do vision problems contribute to learning and behaviour challenges?
Yes. It is estimated that 25 to 30% of children have a learning related vision problem that prevents them from reaching their full academic potential. In learning assistance classes, 80 to 90% of the kids have vision problems. Children diagnosed with learning disabilities, attention deficits, hyperactivity, anxiety, and autism often have vision problems that cause or at least contribute to their struggles.
10. Can too much television harm your eyesight?
Maybe. There is evidence to suggest that sitting too close to the television can cause your vision to make adaptations such as myopia or astigmatism. Of greater concern should be the unusual stimulation provided by television and video games, especially in younger kids who are developing their brains.
The images on television are bright and fast which may train kid's brains to require externally generated visual thoughts and to have limited attention control. Healthy visual and brain development requires activities that involve eye, hand, and body movements, distance judgements, and thinking in pictures. We agree with other child development professionals that television and video games should be very limited with children, particularly those younger than 8 years old.
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