Eye Exams For Good Grades

Kids see the world differently, often because they're experiencing things for the first time. But when they're seeing the world with poorer eyesight, it becomes a problem. Oftentimes, children's vision problems go unnoticed or are even misdiagnosed as ADHD because both produce similar symptoms. Here are just a few reasons why getting your kid's eyes checked regularly and making sure the prescription is right is more important than you might think.

1. When we're children, we're all visual learners.

It's estimated that up to 80% of what kids learn is through their eyes. This isn't hard to believe when you think of a typical kid's school day. They're reading, writing, looking up at a chalk board, using computers and playing sports all before lunch time. It's no wonder our next point is a common problem.

2. Vision problems are sometimes diagnosed as learning disabilities.

Because so much of what kids learn is through their eyes, their grades often suffer when their vision problems go undiagnosed. This leads to quite a large overlap in the symptoms of poor vision and other learning disabilities like ADHD-the main ones being short attention span, listlessness and distractibility. This is a very important reason why annual eye care is especially crucial for kids who are still developing.

3. Kids don't always know they have poor vision.

You may think your kid's eyes are fine because he or she would've mentioned any problems. This isn't always the case because kids don't have much of a frame of reference when it comes to good eyesight versus poor eye sight. It's common for them to think everyone has their same poor vision and not know it's something to share with a parent or teacher.

4. Kids' eyes do so much more than see.

When you hear "eye," you automatically think "see." It's the strongest association, but you rarely consider how many different things your eyes do to help you interact with the world around you. When you're a kid, visual skills such as visual acuity, eye focusing, and hand/eye coordination become doubly important, whether you're hitting a baseball or reading and writing.

Now that you know why scheduling regular eye exams* for your kids is important, here are a few signs to look out for as indicators that they might have poor vision:

• Frequent eye rubbing
• Squinting often
• Recurring headaches
• Cocking the head to one side to see better
• Holding face very close to read

Make sure your kid has all of the tools they need to succeed in school and in life. At Pearle Vision, we take the time to get their prescription right. Schedule an eye exam * that checks for vision and overall eye health issues for your child today. As the year comes to a close, it may be a good time to check to see if your vision benefits cover an eye exam* for your child before your benefits expire.

Sources:
1. http://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/good-vision-throughout-life/childrens-vision/school-aged-vision-6-to-18-years-of-age?sso=y
2. http://www.artisanoptics.com/eye_exams/pediatric_eye_exams/children_s_eye_exams/