Vision is arguably the most important of the five senses. It plays a crucial role throughout childhood and beyond. Yet many parents do not understand how vision helps their children develop appropriately. Here are answers to the four most common questions asked by parents.
1. When should my child have his/her first eye health examination?
Mark it on your calendar. It is recommended that infants have their first vision examination as early as six-months-of-age. That’s right! When your child is only 6-months-old, they can receive their first eye examination, and they don’t even need to study for this ‘test.’ By using specialized instruments, shapes, pictures and other child-friendly methods to assess your child’s eye health and vision, the optometrist is able to check for any developmental or visual abnormalities, such as an eye turn and high prescription. These certain conditions, just to name a few, require immediate attention and can be detected at this time. Undiagnosed vision problems can have a significant impact on the child’s neurological, academic and social development; a lifetime of poor vision or permanently lost vision may even result. Fortunately, when a problem is detected early, it is less likely that other areas of development will be affected.
2. How often should I bring my child for an eye health examination?
Children should have their first eye exam at six-months-of-age and every year after that until they are 18. School vision screening does not replace the need for a comprehensive eye exam performed by an optometrist.
3. Why wouldn’t I know if my child has a vision problem?
Vision and eye health conditions are not always accompanied by recognizable symptoms, even children that are performing well in school may have vision problems that are affecting their ability to reach their full potential! Most children rarely complain about blurred vision and assume the way their world looks is normal. Oftentimes, vision problems are not easily recognizable by parents because children usually adapt quickly. However, over time, this may lead to headaches, eye strain or frustration. It is estimated that 1 out of every 4 children begins Grade One with an uncorrected or undiagnosed eye health or vision problem.
4. How much does an eye examination cost for my child?
Alberta Health Care (AHC) strongly believes in the importance of early detection and prevention of eye disorders and provides eye exam coverage until their 18th birthday.
Drs. George Fung and Micah Luong are local area optometrists serving the Calgary region. For more information, visit www.browzeyeware.com or call one of our offices nearest you. North: 403-248-3937; Central: 403-258-4482; South: 403-726-2388.
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