School screenings are important, but a complete eye exam is too!

A school screening is an essential tool that helps to detect vision problems.  Without this tool, so many more children would suffer from undetected vision problems.  This is an amazing service that the school districts offer to families.  

However, there is a common misconception that parents have about school screenings. Many think that a school screening is a complete eye exam instead of just a screening. When I ask a parent if they have had their child's eyes checked yet, I often hear, "Yeah, they get it checked in school every year and they are good."

School screenings are great at picking up problems like myopia/nearsightedness.  With some of the new automated screeners, they also do well at picking up issues like hyperopia and astigmatism.  However, they do not assess how the eyes work together, if the child's eyes are focusing correctly, or other binocular issues related to reading and learning.  Also, some school districts cannot afford the new automated screeners and hyperopia is the most common condition failed to be picked up by a school screening, and it is the condition that creates the most challenges for a child when it comes to learning.

Did you know that 1 in 4 children have vision problems that can interfere with learning?

Did you know that 60% of students identified as problem learners have undetected vision problems?

With 80% of everything a child learns coming into the brain  through their eyes, don't you think it is time your child had a complete, comprehensive eye exam?

 What are some signs that a child may be having problems with their vision?

• Difficulty copying from the board to their paper
• Avoiding or not liking reading, 
• Complaint that the words move on the page
• Skipping lines when reading
• Short attention span
• Difficulty throwing or catching a ball, copying from a chalkboard or tying their shoes
• Pulling a book in close to their face or sitting too close to a TV
• Lots of blinking or eye rubbing
• Guiding their eyes with a finger or pencil when reading
• Falling performance in school.