There are a lot of things that you can do before your child enters kindergarten and after they start to set them up for success. The list is long, from proper sleeping patterns to a healthy diet. As parents, there are many factors that play into raising a healthy, educated and successful child. One of the things that a lot of parents may not think to add to their list is an eye exam.
When your child is young and has a vision problem, they don’t necessarily know it. Think about it – if blurry vision is all you have ever known, would you think there is something wrong with your eyes? Probably not. Most kids think what they see is normal. That’s why it’s so important to make comprehensive eye exams a part of your child’s annual health check-up.
Besides ensuring your child doesn’t have a vision problem, what are the benefits of taking your child for an eye exam?
- 80% of early learning is visual. If your child can’t see, it’s going to be very hard for them to have success without corrective measures.
- Full eye exams not only test for vision problems, they also detect how healthy the eye is. If your child has an eye disease, it can be found in an exam.
- Prevention is the best cure. There are some eye problems that, if caught early, can be corrected such as lazy eye or poor eye coordination.
- Children’s eye exams are covered. Alberta Health covers your children’s annual eye exams until they turn 19.
- Free eyeglasses for kindergarteners. Eye See…Eye Learn® is a program offered by the Alberta Association of Optometrists that works to educate Albertans about children’s eye health. It also provides a free pair of glasses to any child in kindergarten who needs them. That means your child will be starting their education learning and looking through healthy eyes!
Children’s eye health is important at all ages, but it’s especially important to check in while their eyes are still developing. Children should have their first comprehensive eye exam when they are six months old, at least one more between two and five years old and then every year from six to nineteen.
If you don’t already have a Doctor of Optometry, you can find one here today!
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