Michigan Optometric Association Encourages Children’s Comprehensive Vision Exams

As the summer draws to a close, many children (and parents) eagerly anticipate a return to in-person schooling. Parents are starting to think about back-to-school lists, including the next size up in clothes, desk supplies, and healthy lunch options. While there continue to be questions about what school will look like for the 2021-22 year, (Will kids be wearing masks? Will in-person sports and field trips resume? How much schooling will be virtual?) one thing remains constant- vision plays an important role in learning, and a comprehensive vision exam should be on that back-to-school list.

Many children get vision screenings through the school and health departments during the year, which are important for detecting major issues like significant uncorrected refractive error (need for glasses), amblyopia (“lazy eye,”), or strabismus (eye turn). However, these screenings are designed to detect major problems, and not some of the more subtle issues that can be just as debilitating to a child’s learning. Eye teaming, tracking, and focusing disorders often go undetected in vision screenings, as can ocular health concerns. Eye tracking, teaming, and focusing disorders will often manifest in the classroom as difficulties with learning. Sometimes that will look like a student not reaching their potential, doing better with verbal or oral tasks compared to reading or paper-pencil tasks, skipping lines while reading, or poor fluency or comprehension while reading. Other times it may look like fatigue or headaches at the end of the day. Still other times it may look like inattention to or avoidance of near tasks, or bothering classmates instead of paying attention to desk work. To view examples of how a child with these issues might be seeing, click here.

Who can help identify vision-related eye concerns, aside from vision screeners? Parents, teachers, and paraprofessionals are high on the list of people who may notice these types of difficulties as the school year starts. If homework is consistently a struggle, or if a student complains about headaches or not wanting to do near activities that involve their eyes (reading/writing/computer work for older children, drawing or coloring for younger children) their difficulties may be related to an inefficient visual system. Pediatricians, school nurses, and school psychologists may also notice that a child’s struggles might be related to their vision. If any of these individuals indicate concern, parents should bring their children in to see a doctor of optometry for a comprehensive vision exam. This exam will include evaluation for significant problems like needing glasses or an eye turn, but the optometrist will also evaluate teaming, tracking, and focusing skills, and will perform an ocular health evaluation. If problems are revealed, there are usually several treatment options available that can help reduce any barriers to learning during the school year.

The main lesson here: get your pupil’s eyes checked with a comprehensive vision exam. This is one series of tests that can help the rest of them go a little easier for your student this school year and beyond. To find an eye doctor near you, visit our doctor locator.

Contact Information

Chelsea Stevens

Communications Coordinator

Michigan Optometric Association

chelsea@themoa.org