Why testing your children’s eye sight is so important

The importance of annual eye exams goes well beyond just making sure your child’s vision isn’t blurry.

Here are five reasons why eye exams are so important — and why your child should have annual eye exams to safeguard your health and wellness.

Do you know the date your child last saw an optometrist?

1. Eye exams help children succeed in school.

Did you know that 80 percent of what children are expected to learn in and outside the classroom requires good vision? It’s true — and that statistic, which has been around for a long time, probably should be revised upward because of the ever-increasing amount of screen time kids are exposed to these days.

2. Myopia is becoming an epidemic.

After a comprehensive exam, your eye doctor will discuss the findings and offer treatment options best suited to your needs.

The number of children who are developing myopia (nearsightedness) is growing faster than ever. And more kids are getting nearsighted at a very early age.

Why is this a big concern?

Children who become nearsighted very early in life tend to experience a worsening and progression of nearsightedness that continues throughout childhood — and this puts them at a significantly greater risk of very serious and potentially sight-threatening eye conditions later in life, including cataracts, glaucoma and retinal detachment.

3. Vision screenings are no substitute for an eye exam.

Too often, parents are led to believe their child is seeing perfectly well because she passed a school vision screening. Frequently, this is incorrect.

Vision screenings are just that — a quick screen to help find individuals who have serious (and usually quite obvious) vision problems. Screenings can identify apparent problems a person might have with specific visual tasks, such as seeing a chalkboard clearly in the classroom or recognizing road signs and other objects from behind the wheel.

Only a comprehensive eye exam by an optometrist can ensure your vision is as clear and comfortable as possible — and that your child is free from potentially serious eye diseases that don’t have obvious early symptoms, including glaucoma and even eye cancer.

4. Your child may not be aware of there eyesight issues

Many children may not even be aware that how they see is not perfect. Imagine your child struggling for years not knowing what clear sighted vision is even like? This can effect there life in many ways and imagine it all could be cured by a simple eye sight check up.

5. Annual eye exams can detect other serious health problems.

Did you know that many people first learn they have serious health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even cancer from — yes, you guessed it — a routine eye exam.

During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor can observe and evaluate the health and condition of the blood vessels in your retina, which are a good predictor of the health of blood vessels throughout your body. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia all are visible by changes in the appearance of the retinal blood supply and blood vessels.

So don’t put off an eye exam for you or child any more, especially as children get free eye tests under the NHS, there really is no reason not to book your eye test in Canterbury today, just call 01227 760 501 to book.