Back to School and Your Child's Eyes

It's that time of year again! This is the best time to bring your children in for a comprehensive eye examination. The kids are available and there is no better way to get them ready for the new school year. You may be thinking: "Billy sees things that I don't see and he has always passed the school screening by the school nurse or pediatrician". The truth of the matter is that many conditions can be missed by a simple screening, especially in children. High degrees of hyperopia and well as moderate amounts of astigmatism can be completely missed. In addition, a simple screening does not evaluate how your child uses his or her eyes together. It is very important that children have adequate tracking skills as this is required to read efficiently and increase reading comprehension. Children should also be tested for color vision and depth perception. They should be tested for both their distance vision and their near vision. If they have not had their eyes dilated, this is also recommended. So, bring your children in for their yearly eye examination and while you are at it, get your eyes tested too.