Looking at a wall chart in school to check for 20/20
vision is not an eye exam; it is a screening test. This basic check of ability to focus
on an object 20 feet away overlooks many other important factors that influence your
child's ability to see and to be successful in school.
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), basic
screening checks "tend to miss upwards of 75 percent of children with
a learning-related vision problem."1 It
is necessary to have a thorough eye exam conducted by an
optometrist.When a child has a vision problem,
it can affect
school work and social skills. Sure the nurse may say your child
has 20/20 vision, but the board may be blurry when the child looks up
from reading. Or they may have trouble focusing on words at
normal reading distances. Or they could be experiencing more subtle vision
problems that get misdiagnosed as symptoms of ADHD or behavioral
problems.
The AOA recommends an eye
exam every two years for school-aged children that do not need
glasses, and annually for those that do.2 In addition
to the eye chart test, an optometrist will check for
general eye health issues and the presence of eye disease
quality of near and far vision
visual disorders
Often
a child is unaware that they are not seeing "the whole picture."
They could be missing leaves on trees or the color of someone's
eyes. These visual misses also
interfere with developing academic and social skills. The
AOA cites studies showing that one in four
school-age children suffer from undiagnosed vision problems, the
most prevalent disabling condition in childhood.3
Our eyes are amazing organs that affect every part of our
lives. If we are not even aware that they are not working properly life can be much more
difficult than it needs to be. A "20/20" rating from the school nurse
does not mean that your child has perfect vision. Help give your
child the best possible chance for success in school by ensuring
your child has a real eye exam.
