Eye Exams for Kids

One in every four children have a vision issue that could affect learning; and school vision screenings are not always the answer.

Vision screening programs are intended to identify children or adults who may have undetected vision problems. If the screening indicates a vision problem, they are referred for further evaluation.

However, a vision screening can’t be relied on to provide the same results as a comprehensive eye and vision examination.

Vision screenings are completed with limited testing equipment, personnel not trained to asses eyes, and they can give a false sense of “passing” when in reality the child may have issues that need to be addressed.

Screenings do not check the health of the eyes. There is no assessment of the front or back of the eye. If the child suffers from allergies screenings won’t check this. If the child has a retinal condition that would impede the development of one or both of the eyes, a screening would not catch this.

Screenings don’t always catch when eyes aren’t working together as a team which can lead to poor depth perception. Screenings don’t check a child’s focusing abilities which is more important than ever as children are on devices and computers at school and at home.