With school starting up, now is a great time to start thinking about scheduling an eye appointment for your child. From eyeglasses to contact lenses, we have everything you need to ensure your little one's vision stays clear and comfortable for optimal learning.
Did you know that children will learn more from their vision than they will from any of their other senses combined? Good vision is crucial for a young one’s educational, physical, and social development.
It’s important for parents to be vigilant about the possible signs of a vision problem to give their child the best chance of reaching their full potential.
Some vision conditions to watch out for include:
- nearsightedness
- farsightedness
- astigmatism
- amblyopia (lazy eye)
- strabismus (crossed eyes)
Children’s Eye Exams and Eyeglasses in Calgary
At Market Mall Optometry, we understand just how important your child’s vision is. We offer a wide range of children’s eye health services from eye exams and emergency care to eyeglasses and contact lens fittings to ensure your little one is always seeing clearly.
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Keep An Eye Out For Common Vision Problems
While eye exams and eyeglasses are an important part of keeping your child’s vision clear, they won’t always know they need them. As a parent, it’s important to keep an eye out for common signs of vision problems such as:
- frequent headaches
- short attention span for close work
- frequent blinking or eye rubbing
- slow to finish school work
- squinting
- poor reading comprehension
- a tendency to cover one eye
Why You Need to Book an Eye Exam Quickly
The inability to use the eyes together as a team, or focus on close objects, can make it very difficult and frustrating for children to concentrate on their work. This can sometimes give the child the appearance of having a disorder such as ADHD.
Did you know? Many children are misdiagnosed as having ADHD when they really just have an undiagnosed vision problem which can be corrected simply and easily with eyeglasses or contact lenses.
How Undiagnosed Vision Problems Affect Learning
A large of the learning children do (approximately 80%) is done through their eyes, so having an undiagnosed vision problem can negatively impact their:
- education
- confidence
- ability to socialise
- quality of life
Unlike adults, children might not know how to explain what’s wrong and this frustrating situation can lead them to act out and disengage from school work and their peers. Luckily, this can be averted with regular eye exams and correct vision treatment such as prescription eyeglasses.
Comprehensive Children’s Eye Exams
Unlike a simple screening that can be done by a school nurse or other healthcare professional, a comprehensive children’s eye exam should be done by a qualified optometrist and involves checking for:
- eye alignment (teaming)
- ocular motility (tracking)
- depth perception
- colour blindness
- any other conditions such as strabismus or amblyopia
In addition to these tests, and the standard visual acuity test, your optometrist will also check that all the structures in your child’s eyes look normal and healthy.
We Help Ensure Your Child’s Vision is Perfect
Whether you suspect your child has a vision problem or not, you should schedule a back-to-school eye exam with your local optometrist. We can ensure that their vision is working well and, if needed, began developing a treatment plan to ensure they always see clearly and comfortably.
Call Today
To find out more about our comprehensive children’s eye exams and affordable eyeglasses, contact our Calgary eye clinic today at 403-286-4884 or book a contact lens fitting today.
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