Eye Problems in Your Child’s Sight

Primary Eye Care Associates urges parents to have their children’s eyes ­examined by an optometrist, rather than relying on school vision screenings.

Dr. Hinkle of Primary Eye Care Associates in Owasso gives a patient an eye exam.

Oftentimes people associate vision problems with aging, ­making the assumption that ­children are born with perfect vision. Numerous studies, ­however, contradict this notion. The American Optometric Association (AOA) estimates that “nearly 25 percent of school-age children have vision problems.” Yet, 86 percent of first-grade students have never received any type of eye exam. It should come as no surprise, then, that 60 percent of ­“problem learners” have vision problems that go undetected.

    “Eye exams for children entering school are critical for early intervention,” says Dr. Hinkle of Primary Eye Care Associates of Owasso. “This is needed to treat diseases and ­disorders that can lead to poor school performance and can ­ultimately affect a child’s quality of life.”

    According to Dr. Hinkle and his colleague Dr. Cash, there are certain telltale signs a child may be experiencing vision ­difficulty. Are his eyes or eyelids noticeably red? Does the child rub his eyes a lot or complain of frequent headaches? Does he turn or tilt the head as if trying to focus with just one eye? Does he avoid tasks that would require a lot of visual focus, such as ­coloring and reading, or ­hand-eye coordinated activities, such as doing puzzles? If the answer to these questions is “yes,” then the child most ­certainly needs an eye exam.

    One might ask, “But aren’t there routine vision screenings at every school?” According to studies cited by the AOA, these screenings are designed to detect potential issues, but are not ­comprehensive enough and are not diagnostic. “Vision screening programs that are well-designed and properly administered in the public or private schools should be utilized to assist in the ­identification of children in need of care who have not had access to comprehensive examination services,” states the AOA. Vision screenings are only used to test visual acuity, while a ­comprehensive eye exam given by optometrists involves assessment and possible treatment of this and other problems involving binocular vision, refractive status, oculomotility, and general ocular health. The AOA also ­recommends assessments begin at age three, rather than waiting until the child enters school.

    Shelley Moody, office ­manager of Owasso’s Primary Eye Care Associates, provides a perfect example of the importance of early eye examination in children. “My sister couldn’t see well from the time she was born, and in school she was moved to the front of the class – where she still couldn’t see,” she recounts. “When she finally got her first pair of glasses, she told our mother she was amazed that those things on the trees were leaves and not green cotton balls!”

    Shelly goes on to explain that it is so important that ­parents and optometrists work together on behalf of the child because, like her sister, a child does not actually realize for ­herself that she is not seeing properly. “Children who start out with poor vision don’t have anything to compare things to,” she explains. “They only know what they are born with.”

    To schedule an eye exam for your child or yourself, contact one of the fine optometrists with any area Primary Eye Care Associates, located in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Collinsville, Owasso and Sand Springs.

For more information, contact

Primary Eye Care ­Associates

www.primaryeye.com