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Could Your Child Need Glasses?
Making the Process Go Smoothly for Your Child By Felicia Hodges
Because of the difficulties that can result when your child can't see clearly, regular exams -- one at least every year beginning at age 5 or when your child starts school -- are important. Although most school nurses conduct eye exams, the exams are not nearly as comprehensive as one done by an optometrist. "They're pretty good with catching nearsightedness but they have trouble catching convergence and depth perception difficulties that corrective lenses and eye exercises can help correct," Dr. Collins says.
Of course, if you suspect that your child is having difficulties with his or her eyes and the fifth birthday hasn't yet, make an appointment anyway. Even if your child doesn't know the alphabet, they can be tested using numbers or pictures of familiar objects.
"I would say if you notice that your child is sitting closer to the television than usual or if he begins holding books or the Gameboy really close to his face, it may be time to see if his eyes are the culprit," says Sterling Optical Manager Robin Stettner. "Also look for excessive eye rubbing and complaints of headaches or eye strain."
Dr. Collins says you can do an informal test at home to see if your child's difficulties are real or imagined, especially if he or she is too young to complain of eye strain, read or play video games. "But it is hard to say what is really wrong without an actual eye exam," he adds.
Also, because the eye is rich with blood vessels, lots of other physical ailments -- including high blood pressure and diabetes -- can often be detected during a routine eye exam.
"Anything that affects the vascular system can be virtually diagnosed from the optic nerve and the retina," Dr. Collins says. "We can also detect immune reactions and seasonal allergies by the blood vessels in the retina." If a problem is noticed, Dr. Collins usually refers the patient to his or her doctor or a specialist for follow-up -- all the more reason to add the eye doctor to your child's list of yearly "must sees."