In all the excitement that comes with preparing for your child’s return back to school (and planning the ensuing celebrations, no doubt), an important annual health item tends to get missed: your child’s annual eye exam.
On the “back to school” list, directly underneath notebooks and new school supplies, write in an eye exam for your young student. Why? Keep reading…
1 in 4 Kindergarten Kids Need Corrective Lenses
Imagine trying to take notes, read the board, or complete assignments with hazy, blurry, frustrating vision! For the thousands of kids all over Canada that have undiagnosed vision problems, these issues are all too real.
Sometimes a child’s eyesight issues can be dismissed as hyperactivity or even can be diagnosed as a learning disability. With children being young and not able to communicate the issue, misdiagnosis from parents and caregivers is common. Children adapt to their surrounding, and assume that everyone sees the same way; they don’t communicate that there’s a problem because they don’t know that there’s a problem.
Many Learning & Attitude Problems Are a Result of Poor Vision
Picture this: your little Janey or Johnny, an 8 year old struggling in math. Try as you might you just can’t seem to get the question right. Assignment after assignment, and test after test, you receive poor grades and stern looks from your parents.
You try to study hard, and you try to do your homework, but to no avail: you can’t get better because you can’t see the problem. The numbers are blurry – is that a “7” or a “1”? – and you struggle keeping place when reading the assignments.
Who wouldn’t get a little angry or frustrated in those circumstances?
We have many young patients whose attitudes and grades improved once we set them up with a pair of corrective lenses. It’s amazing the difference in quality of life a good pair of glasses or contact lenses can make.
All the Cool Kids Are Doing It
OHIP provides annual financial coverage for kids age 19 and younger. We encourage parents to take advantage of this coverage (which doesn’t exist south of the border, by the way) and to bring their kids in for an annual eye exam.
An eye exam is fast (about 30 minutes), pain-free (totally non-invasive), and gives us a chance to check-in on your child’s developing eyes. We hope to see you soon!
