We see many parents from all over Brentwood and they often wonder why they need to bring their child in for an eye exam. They assume that since their child can see the board in school and they get a vision screening by the school nurse or their pediatrician, everything is ok. However, this is sometimes not the case. 25% of children who pass a vision screening still have eye issue. This is why The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends getting your kids an eye exam from the age of 6 months.
It’s important to remember that learning is 80% visual so very important that your child’s vision is functioning properly. Every parent would hate to see their child struggling in school because of poor vision. Kids are often misdiagnosed with ADD when in reality, they are just acting out because they can’t see!
What will Dr. Ballard look for at my child’s eye exam?
As mentioned, even if the school nurse is saying your child’s vision is fine, there are many more factors to check regarding the health of the eye.
- Near and farsight – see if your child has an issue seeing at a distance or up close.
- Focusing skills – can the eyes focus on items near and far
- Binocular Vision/Fusion – do the eyes work together or do they drift apart? Is there eye coordination? If not, they may have Binocular Vision Dysfunction
- Lazy eye – making sure one eye isn’t dragging when the other is moving
- Potential ocular eye disease
It’s always important to schedule a yearly eye exam for your child. Give us a call at (615) 845-5050 to see how we can help.