Vision screenings part of overall children’s health

National Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month takes place during August, and families are encouraged to prioritize their children’s vision, as part of their overall health. According to the CDC, nearly 6.8 percent of children under 18 in the United States, have a vision condition, and about 3 percent have blindness or vision impairment. Regular eye exams can detect vision problems early, before children realize they have them. This ensures that kids are set up for success in school, sports and daily life. Providers recommend having a first eye exam between the ages of four to five years old. “If there haven’t been any problems prior to that, the reason why we do that, is a child’s neurologic development is still progressing,” said ophthalmologist Dr. Charlie Ahrens. “Especially within the visual system, it gets locked in kind of…so if we can identify problems before then, we can have a chance to try to prevent some of these problems.” Common vision problems among children include nearsightedness, farsightedness and lazy eye. Eye issues can also lead to difficulties at school, but parents and teachers can help with recognizing symptoms. Things to watch for include children struggling to read, having problems at school, standing too close to the TV, standing too far away, and turning their head or their eyes a certain way, when they are trying to do visual tasks.