Kid's eye care
Good vision is essential to a child's learning and reading performance. Often parents and teachers overlook a child's vision problems as a cause of learning difficulties.
Early detection is important
Early detection of vision problems is particularly important for primary and intermediate school children who are learning to read and write.
A child who cannot see is at a learning disadvantage.
Kid's vision for school
One in six children ages 5 to 12 have vision performance problems that can lead to learning difficulties. The Snellen eye chart, traditionally used in school screening programmes, measures the ability to see objects clearly at a distance. This test detects less than 30 percent of vision problems in children. A child may "pass" this screening test and still have vision disorders that impair learning, such as problems with near-vision and binocular skills.
Symptoms of vision problems
Some of the symptoms that may indicate a child is experiencing vision problems include:
- Rubbing eyes repeatedly
- Dislike and avoidance of close work
- Holding head at an angle when looking at an object
- Shutting or covering one eye to focus
- Excessive blinking
- Holding books closely
- Using a finger as a place mark when reading
- Sitting too close to the television
- Developing red eyes
Most children with visual defects are unlikely to complain about their vision, thinking everyone else sees the same. Rapid growth may impact a child’s vision but with regular eyes examinations potential vision problems can be detected and corrected.
Many school-age children may be inaccurately labelled as slow and unable to keep up in class because of correctable but undetected vision problems.
Children's eye care subsidy
Families with Community Services or the High Use Health cards may qualify for subsidised optometrists visits and a subsidy toward the cost of glasses, for children 15 years and under.
Red eyes, dislike and avoidance of close work, sitting too close to the television… your child may simply need glasses