You’ve bought the school supplies and the new clothing for the start of the school year.
But what about the eye exam?
President of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society, and an Ophthalmologist in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Dr. Colin Mann says it’s an important thing to have on the list before the kids are head back to school, “There are some unique things about children when it comes to their eyes. Children don’t complain about their eyesight They can have quite poor vision, or poor vision in one eye and we may not know it, they just accept it. That is why it is particularly important for kids to get examinations. The part of the brain that we use for vision is still developing up to ages 6 to 9.”
Dr. Mann says parents should also talk to their child’s teacher, “Important to have a good dialogue with the school, because they spend a lot of time with them. Often, if there are problems seeing distance, kids are getting moved up to the front of the class, or kids are having trouble seeing the board.”
There are things parents can watch for as well, “Alignment of the eyes is important in younger children. The appearance of the eyes not being lined up, having an inward turn or an outward turn is really important to look at,” Dr. Mann says.
If you child is hesitant about going to get an eye exam, Dr. Mann says “The neat thing about eye exams is it is not painful and in fact it is often made into a fun game. Having a look at the eyes often involves games where we look at pictures, and it is often something kids quite enjoy and they ask when they can come back. So you can reassure them,” Dr. Mann says.
