Pediatric Eye Exams
Did you know? The Affordable Care Act made it mandatory for all medical insurances to cover a routine eye examination annually for children under the age of 18.
We recommend your children's first eye examination at 3 years old if you haven't noticed any troubles prior. We see children as young as 6 months old. Having your child's eyes examined this young is vital to ensuring (s)he is ready for school. Eighty percent of learning is visual and there are many easily correctable vision-related troubles that can impede on your child's learning.
We recommend your children's first eye examination at 3 years old if you haven't noticed any troubles prior. We see children as young as 6 months old. Having your child's eyes examined this young is vital to ensuring (s)he is ready for school. Eighty percent of learning is visual and there are many easily correctable vision-related troubles that can impede on your child's learning.
Visual Abilities & Learning
Approximately 80% of learning is done visually. Vision conditions that are undiagnosed and untreated become stumbling blocks to learning. When children are visually able to learn, they have the potential to be successful in everything they do.
Think about the tasks students tackle each day like reading & spelling, writing & computer work. To complete these tasks children must be able to see and understand information. Healthy vision is more than just the ability to see clearly from one end of the classroom to the other. It also includes visualizing, understanding & applying infomation that comes into the brain through the eyes.
Here are the seven essential visual abilities needed for learning.
-Visual Acuity: Seeing clearly at distance or near
-Accommodation: Maintaining clear vision as objects are move closer to the eyes
-Eye Teaming: Coordinating both eyes together so they both point at the exact same object
-Eye Movement: Tracking objects or views easily
-Perception: Interpreting correctly what is seen, and then reacting to it
-Eye-Hand Coordination: Using the eyes to guide the hands.
-Imagery: Seeing pictures in the mind.
-Remembering pictures of what has been seen in the past
-Visualizing new pictures in the mind.
-Accommodation: Maintaining clear vision as objects are move closer to the eyes
-Eye Teaming: Coordinating both eyes together so they both point at the exact same object
-Eye Movement: Tracking objects or views easily
-Perception: Interpreting correctly what is seen, and then reacting to it
-Eye-Hand Coordination: Using the eyes to guide the hands.
-Imagery: Seeing pictures in the mind.
-Remembering pictures of what has been seen in the past
-Visualizing new pictures in the mind.
Warning Signs
- Becomes easily distracted
- Avoids near tasks
- Has emotional outbursts
- Poor self image
- Shows aggressive behavior
- Has low comprehension
- Has trouble concentratin
- Fails to complete assignments
- Is frustrated with school
- Uses exaggerated head movements
- Loses place and skips lines
- Holds books at a very close reading distance
- Has no voice inflection when reading
- Fatigues rapidly when reading
Quick Facts About Children's Vision
According to the National Parent Teacher Association, 10 million children suffer from vision problems. Vision disorders are the leading cause of handicapping conditions in children.
- Many studies have demonstrated that more than 70% of juvenile offenders had undiagnosed vision problems.
- Amblyopia (lazy eye) affects 75,000 children in the U.S. by age 3 and about 5% of children nationwide are afflicted. Amblyopia is completely treatable and preventable, but unfortunately it remains the leading cause of vision loss in Americans under 40.
- According to the Vision Council of America, approximately 80% of all learning during a child's first 12 years is obtained through the eyes, yet 86% of children do not receive a vision exam during that time.
- More than 50% of children identified during vision screenings as needing professional eye and vision care do not receive that care. Of those who do, the average time between the screening and the examination is 18 months.
- Amblyopia (lazy eye) affects 75,000 children in the U.S. by age 3 and about 5% of children nationwide are afflicted. Amblyopia is completely treatable and preventable, but unfortunately it remains the leading cause of vision loss in Americans under 40.
- According to the Vision Council of America, approximately 80% of all learning during a child's first 12 years is obtained through the eyes, yet 86% of children do not receive a vision exam during that time.
- More than 50% of children identified during vision screenings as needing professional eye and vision care do not receive that care. Of those who do, the average time between the screening and the examination is 18 months.
