Why Does My Child Need An Eye Exam? Hey if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? Wrong. At least when it comes to your eyes. And it’s especially true when it comes to your child’s eyes. Read this week’s article and learn why your child needs to have their eyes regularly examined.
Imagine you are learning about the world, everything is new. Every day you are absorbing new things, ideas, and concepts. You are just starting to learn how to socialize with others, understanding language, and numbers. Now, imagine if you couldn’t see clearly, and you were trying to navigate yourself through this new environment. Well, that’s exactly how a child who cannot see clearly feels. As parent’s we are responsible for the health and well-being of our children. That includes ensuring not only that your child can see clearly, but that their eyes are healthy. Seeing is a critical part of growing up, but eye health is equally important. If an eye condition goes undiagnosed, there could be long-term permanent damage to the eye(s).
An Eye Exam Is More Than Just Getting New Specs
During your child’s appointment, a comprehensive eye exam will be completed, which will help determine your child’s vision and eye health needs. A series of tests will be conducted, some with the use of specialized optometry equipment, like a retinal camera. Many diseases and eye conditions have little to no symptoms. So it is especially important to ensure your child doesn’t miss their regular eye exam because they may not know any better, and or be unable to communicate the symptoms to an adult. Additionally, an eye exam can uncover more than just eye related issues, it can help diagnose other diseases like cancer, diabetes, or a tumor.
Should your child require glasses, a prescription will be provided at the end of the appointment. Also, if your child needs to see a specialist, our office will also help in setting up an appointment.
One Good Reason Your Child Needs An Eye Exam: Amblyopia
A common eye condition babies and young children suffer from is a lazy eye, in medical terms this is called amblyopia. The reason this eye condition is known as a lazy eye is because usually, one eye lacks in effectively communicating to the brain, and so the brain favors the other good eye. A comprehensive eye exam can uncover this issue. The earlier the eye condition is diagnosed the better, as treatment is most effective sooner than later. One treatment option is an eye patch, which will be placed over the unaffected eye, forcing the weaker eye to communicate better with the brain. However, your eye doctor will provide you with the best treatment plan specific to your child.
If amblyopia is not treated, it will not go away on its own. Instead, it could severely hinder your ability to see and possibly lead to blindness. Worse yet, if the ‘good’ eye is damaged at some point, reliance on the affected eye would be required. Although there are treatment options for adults with amblyopia, the most effective treatment has been shown in those who were treated earlier in their life.
Check out this interactive video from the National Eye Institute (NEI) about amblyopia.
Insurance
Children up to the age of 18 years are covered for a full eye exam by the Medical Services Plan (MSP). For more information about insurance coverage please click here.
It is spring break week for many children, a perfect time to have your child’s eyes assessed. If you would like to book an appointment give us a call or book online easily to see Dr. Sharma.
A child who can see clearly is a confident child.