In the U.S. alone, around 12.2 million people lack the vision correction they need. According to the Vision Council of America, this is due in part to the fact that almost half of parents with children under the age of 12 have never taken their kids to see an eye care professional. As a result, August has been named National Eye Exam Month to remind parents of the importance of their children’s eye health.
Why Is Scheduling Regular Eye Exams so Important?
- — Prevent Headaches: Consistent headaches with no known cause could be attributed to eye problems, which your eye doctor can diagnose.
- — Improve Performance at School: Frequently, poor school performance is caused by an undetected vision problem. As one in four children suffer from a refractive error or another issue, an eye exam is important to keep your child from falling behind at school, advises the Optometry Times.
- — Detect Serious Conditions: An eye exam can reveal underlying conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, glaucoma and high cholesterol in their early stages.
- — Avoid Eye Diseases: Your optometrist will also able to identify diseases, such as macular degeneration and cataracts, even before symptoms occur. This lowers the risk of permanent damage.
How to Prepare Your Child for an Eye Exam
You child might be nervous before taking an eye exam, especially if they’re unsure about what to expect. Here are a few tips to help prepare them ahead of time:
- — Explain What Will Happen: Make sure your child knows what to expect from an eye exam, recommends WebMD. For instance, they will probably need to name objects, such as pictures, letters, or shapes.
- — Practice with Eye Drops: About Vision explains how parents can increase their child’s confidence by demonstrating how eye drops feel with a bottle of artificial tears.
While taking an annual eye exam is crucial to your child’s eye health, it is equally important to protect your kid’s eyes from UV rays with a pair of sunglasses. Contact us at Real Kids if you have any questions about our collections.