The school year will be fast approaching. Time for annual eye exams. Summertime, August in particular, is a popular month for checking eye health and need for glasses for kids. But how can you tell if your child actually needs glasses?
More is involved in determining glasses needs and binocular function than just reading a vision chart at the pediatrician’s office. It is of course an important part of an exam, but some children will do well reading the chart, but still have difficulty functioning visually.
A comprehensive exam will consist of visual acuity measurement (how well they read the chart) as well as binocular vision (muscle movements), color vision, stereo acuity (depth perception), a refraction (determines if they are near-sighted or far-sighted), and a dilation.
Even if your child can read the chart just fine, they may still need to wear glasses. This is due to the fact that children are really good at accommodating (focusing). They will focus all day long, which can lead to headaches. They may also see well with one eye and not the other. This is difficult for a parent to notice since the child usually doesn’t complain. They may have an eye turn, or develop one due to amblyopia. All of these things are very important to have checked prior to the start of a new school year to start your child off right.
Millerwoods Health Care Campus
