Eye care is important for everyone, but especially for children. Young children don’t know how to express themselves and they often don’t realize that there are problems with their vision; most children assume that the way they see the world is how everyone sees it. Because of this, children are not likely to alert their parents if they are having vision problems and they likely won’t understand why they struggle with tasks that their peers do not. Children’s eye care assesses your child’s eyesight and eye health to detect any refractive errors and intervene early if there are any developing eye conditions. This benefits more than just their eyes; it also helps to improve their ability to function in school and on the playground.
The Impact Of Children’s Eye Care
Vision And Learning
Learning is estimated to be about 80% visual. For children with undiagnosed visual impairments, in-school learning becomes extremely difficult. Children who struggle to see the board at the front of the room or their worksheets in front of them will not be able to learn the same way as their peers with normal vision. This limits the amount of information your child is exposed to and it can cause serious concerns with your child’s perception and experience of school. Children with undiagnosed refractive errors who struggle to keep up with their peers tend to become frustrated at being left behind and their inability to learn at the same rate as their classmates. Children with undiagnosed visual impairments may be incorrectly labelled as slow learners or assumed to have learning disabilities when a simple eye exam and a correct prescription could help improve their performance in the classroom and boost their confidence and enjoyment of learning.
Vision And Social Development
Children’s eye care also impacts their social relationships while young. Children with poor vision are likely to have trouble with depth perception and identifying details. This can make it difficult for children to take part in recess games or close up crafts, which many children enjoy for personal entertainment and as a form of social bonding. Refractive errors and other eye conditions that make these tasks difficult and frustrating limit your child’s ability to play with others, which can be very isolating.
Eye Health
Children’s eye care will determine if your child has a visual impairment, but they will also assess the health of your child’s eye. Detecting developing conditions early will help to slow or stop the progression of any vision-threatening conditions so that your child’s eyesight and eye health can be preserved. Children’s eye care also assesses their vision and allows optometrists to determine a prescription that can correct refractive errors and give your child the opportunities to thrive in school and their personal lives.
Eye Development
Even once your child has gone for an eye exam before starting school or they get prescription eyeglasses to correct their refractive error, children’s eye care doesn’t stop there. Children grow and change fast, which also means their eyes can change rapidly. Until they are 18, children are recommended to have eye exams every year to ensure their prescription is up to date and that their eyes are developing normally. Skipping even one year of eye exams can leave your child with an outdated prescription that doesn’t correct their vision properly.
To learn more about children’s vision, read 5 Important Facts About Children's Vision.
Children’s Eye Care In Calgary
Regular children’s eye care is invaluable for your child’s health and development. Ensuring your child has no eye health concerns while correcting any refractive errors gives them the tools they need to learn and play with ease. For an eye health and vision assessment for your child, book a children’s eye exam with a Blink Eyewear optometrist. Our team will make your visit comfortable for you and your child for a great optometry experience. With three convenient locations in Crowfoot in NW Calgary, West Springs in SW Calgary, and Creekside in NW Calgary, Blink Eyewear can offer you great optometry services throughout the city. To book an appointment with Blink Eyewear, call 1-403-516-2292 or fill out the online contact form.