Most of us might be strangely familiar with going to the school nurse in our childhood, covering one eye, and reading lines from that huge E chart to figure out if we are in need of glasses or not. Unfortunately, though these simple vision screenings might seem efficient, they clearly don’t catch all the things that aren’t right with your child’s eyesight.
Undiagnosed vision problems can seriously hinder your child’s social development and learning. Even if your kid passed the school vision screening with flying colors, we highly suggest you arrange for a comprehensive eye exam for your child at your earliest. A vision screening might not detect the many other vision problems your child might be going through.
Vision Screenings vs. Comprehensive Eye Exams
As most of you run off to back-to-school sales just before schools are about to reopen, you might have to add kids' glasses to the list of school uniforms, stationery items, backpacks, lunch boxes, and laptops on your child’s list of school supplies. Wondering why?
Your beloved daughter or son might be amongst the 1 out of 4 children in North America to be suffering from a vision impairment that’s significant enough to hamper their learning abilities.
Indeed, that big E chart you see in optical shops does a crucial job of testing your visual acuity. But the harsh truth is vision problems are not strictly limited to farsightedness or nearsightedness. When you take your child in for a comprehensive eye exam, they’ll be tested for all sorts of vision problems like:
- Poor visual perception
- Color blindness
- Astigmatism
- Poor hand-eye coordination
- The effectiveness of both eyes working collectively for teaming, tracking, and focusing.
It’s stated that 80% of what children learn through 12 years of age is with their eyes. Surely now you understand why it is so important for kids to be able to see clearly in the classroom. So, if any of these areas are affected and remain untreated, it can seriously impact your child’s education.
Symptoms of an Eye Problem
The most probable symptoms you should keep an eye out for in children include:
- Eyes turned outward
- Crossed eyes
- Lazy eye
- Difficulty reading
- Difficulty in completing schoolwork
- Short attention span (especially for close work)
- Fidgeting
- Frequent blinking
- Frequent eye rubbing
- Frequent headaches
- Being habitual of covering one eye
If any of these symptoms of eye problems are observed, and you haven’t gotten a comprehensive eye exam done for your child yet, it’s time to schedule an appointment right away!
Help Your Kid Reach Their Maximum Potential with a Healthy Eyesight
With the commencement of a new school year comes the ideal time to bring in your kids for a thorough eye exam. Any child going through an eye problem that hampers their ability to function, learn, or progress needs help!
A complete eye examination is the best way to rule out any suspicious vision problems and detect them early. Let your child get the proper eye treatment so they can get back to exploring the incredibly vast and fantastic world of knowledge that awaits them.
Why Eye Exams Are Important For Kids
Comprehensive eye exams for kids play a significant role in ensuring their eyes are perfectly healthy and free of any vision problems that can interfere with their school performance or put their safety at risk.
An early eye exam is vital because kids can use all the visual skills that are fundamental for optimal learning at school:
- Excellent and accurate eye movement skills
- Comfortable and precise eye-teaming skills
- Enhance your kid’s learning abilities
- Excellent visual acuity across all distances.
When to Go For Your Child's First Eye Exam
Generally, eye doctors recommend children should get their first thorough eye exam at 6 months of age to warrant proper development of their eyes.
Once the initial visit to the doctor is complete, you should bring in your kids for a second comprehensive eye exam once they turn 2 or 3 years of age. And then, don’t forget to conduct another test before sending your child off to school.
Your Child's First Eye Exam: What to Expect
On the first meeting with your child’s eye specialist, parents should be ready to answer a vast array of questions regarding the pregnancy or delivery complications, the child’s birth history, whether they were born premature or full-term, and birth weight.
Your child’s eye doctor will most likely question your family history of eye diseases and your kid’s entire medical history, including eye problems in the past, surgeries or treatments, current medications, and if they possibly have any allergies.
Inform an eye your doctor right away if you notice any sort of motor development in your child, such as:
- Poor tracking skills
- Difficulty to maintain eye contact
- Frequent eye blinking, twitching, or rubbing
Most importantly, let your child’s eye doctor know if they’ve previously failed a vision screening test performed by their pediatrician or on behalf of their school.
The Importance of Letting Your Child Choose Kid-Friendly Glasses
Excessive screen time on mobile devices and computers significantly contribute to vision problems. Worried your child is exposed to too much screen time? Don’t worry! We got you. The best way to find out if your kid requires glasses is to schedule a comprehensive eye exam for them on your back-to-school to-do list.
While finding the ideal pair of glasses for kids can be incredibly challenging, it can also be a highly fun-filled experience.
Being adults, getting a pair of new eyeglasses is significantly more than just seeing more clearly. It gives us a chance to carry ourselves better, express our unique personality and style, and even set the mood. Sadly, it’s not the same for kids.
In most cases, getting new glasses for children is typically a case of imposing your decision on them regarding what to wear or what not to wear. Back when we were kids, we often used to be told:
“Oh, those frames make you look too nerdy.”
“That’s such a girly/tomboyish frame.”
“These glasses are too small/big for your face.”
But, don’t we all agree kids SHOULD have a say in this matter and decide for themselves what suits them? We’ve decided it’s about time kids should get a chance to choose their eyewear for themselves and have a fun-filled experience during the process.
Eyeglasses can definitely open up an entirely new world out there for your child, and allowing them to choose a pair of eyeglasses on their own can be the best thing you can do for them. After all, children deserve to get funky frames that have the same amount of personality like theirs.
Creativity is a unique and valuable skill to be blessed within today’s world. It is also something we should foster in our kids at every given opportunity, going beyond school curriculums as well as after-school activities.
We believe in empowering kids so they can discover their best versions of themselves and decide how to express their one-of-a-kind personalities to the world. The best way to grow as a person is to be open to new ideas and experiences.
So as parents, make choices without fear of any consequences or judgments and let your kids be innovative without worrying they’re making the wrong choice.
Shop at MEsquad for the Best Customizable Kids Eyewear Collection
Undoubtedly, kids should be just as much a part of the eyewear choosing process as you. At MEsquad, start designing your perfect pair today. With no tools required in assembling all of the pieces, customizing your glasses has never been easier. Our frames are modular, so you basically get to design, build, and assemble them in various combinations, however you like. Pretty cool, right?
School-proof, water-proof, even ball-in-the-face proof – MEsquad glasses can endure it all. Quite conveniently, kids are bound to love our customizable glasses because they’ll help them concentrate on smashing their grades and look like a BOSS while doing it.
So if you’re all set to go back to school after summers, don’t forget to go in for a complete eye check-up and exam with a local pediatric optometrist.
Our aim here as a brand is to make eyewear purchasing as easy and fun as possible, as it happens to be just one of the many buying decisions parents face immense pressure of getting right.
Wanna join our squad? After your purchase, snap, tag and post and we’ll add you to our growing list of kids who have customized their own glasses.
