Schedule a Back-to-School Eye Exam this Summer

For parents, the back-to-school ritual frequently involves purchasing new clothes, shoes, and school supplies for their kids.  A crucial element often overlooked is a comprehensive eye exam.  Specialists say that eighty percent of learning is visual.  And it’s not just a matter of clear distance vision and near vision.  Proper eye movement; how the eyes work together; and shifting focus from near to far, and vice versa, are critical elements as well.  If a child has an undetected vision problem, they’re at a significant disadvantage academically, socially, and athletically — frustration mounts and performance suffers.  Some vision conditions elicit symptoms that are mistakenly attributed to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  Kids often don’t complain about vision problems … they don’t realize their vision is abnormal.  They might exhibit warning signs such as squinting, tilting their head to view something, constantly rubbing their eyes, and avoiding tasks such as reading, to name a few.  For athletes, school sports practices typically begin a few weeks before the academic year.  Good vision is crucial to achieving peak performance and styaing safe on the field of play.  Protective eyewear (with an up-to-date prescription) is key to fending off errant balls, sticks, elbows, and fingers.  If you have a school-age child, make a back-to-school eye exam at our office part of your summer to-do list today.