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Eye exams should be on parents' back to school list

Along with a new backpack and lunch kit, eye-exams should be at the top of every parent's back to school list. According to Dr.
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Having children's eyes examined is important for their school success. Photo by David Travis/Unsplash

Along with a new backpack and lunch kit, eye exams should be at the top of every parent's back to school list.

According to Dr. Heather Cowie, an optometrist at Airdrie Family Eye Doctors, one in four school-aged children have a vision problem that can impact their education.

"It's essential for children to be able to see clearly and comfortably to do well in school," said Cowie. "With 80 per cent of learning being visual, vision problems can significantly impact a child's ability to learn."

Undetected vision problems may present as learning or behavioural difficulties, Cowie said, and can lead to a misdiagnosis of ADHD or dyslexia.

"If a kid can't see well when they're supposed to be reading quietly...they'll get up and run around," Cowie said. "We'll sometimes miss that this is because of a vision problem."

She added children with vision impairments often don't enjoy school because they can’t see well. However, children are often unaware they have a vision issue as they assume what they're seeing is normal.

As an example, Cowie said a patient in grade 4 that could barely see relied on her friends to tell her what was on the board. Cowie said the girl didn't complain because she thought she was fine.

Another school-aged patient had good vision in one eye but poor sight in the other and believed this was normal.

"‘That's why we have two eyes,’ he said, and his mother in the room was just beside herself," Cowie said.

Many parents or guardians believe they'll know if their child is struggling with their vision, Cowie said, which is a common assumption that can lead to undiagnosed eye problems.

A survey by the Canadian Association of Optometry revealed 61 per cent of parents mistakenly believe they would know if their child was having vision problems.

"Unless it's a severe case, you do not know how your child is seeing," Cowie said. "Every child needs to be seen for an eye exam by an optometrist regardless of whether there's concern from their guardian."

But in Alberta, she said, only 42 per cent of kindergarten-aged children have had an eye exam by an optometrist.

"It's extra concerning because a basic eye exam is covered by Alberta Health Services (AHS) for kids, and there's typically no cost to bring them in," she said.

Additionally, the Eye See...Eye Learn (ESEL) program provides kindergarten-aged kids in need of eyeglasses with a free pair following a comprehensive eye exam by an optometrist, Cowie said.

"There's a real push to get kids seen early and regularly, and we've got these resources to try to make it easier for families," she said.

The most common vision issues in children include amblyopia – commonly called lazy eye – where one eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity. Amblyopia occurs in one to five per cent of kids.

Refractive error eye conditions account for five to seven per cent of conditions in children, Cowie said. These conditions include myopia or nearsightedness – where distant objects are not clear – and hyperopia or farsightedness – where close objects are not clear. Additionally, astigmatism –  irregularities in the shape of the cornea – and strabismus – where the eyes do not properly align with each other when looking at an object – are considered a refractive error eye condition.

"There are some rare but horrific eye conditions that affect children," Cowie said. "The scariest is an eye cancer called retinoblastoma, and that can be life-threatening."

According to Cowie, retinoblastoma is specific to children. Screening for the cancer, as well as cataracts, occurs when they come in for an eye exam.

"Bring them in, whether you're concerned or not," she said. "All children are going to be faced with different challenges this year, let's not have them struggle to see on top of that."

Kate F. Mackenzie, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @katefmack

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