Don’t neglect the most important tools that your children have when it comes to school.
It is Children’s Eye Health month across the nation and Dr. Catherine Smoot-Haselnus with Chesapeake Eye Care is reminding parents that children of all ages have some sort of eye issue that needs to be addressed.
“Before age five, make sure they have had, minimally an eye screening to look for certain disease conditions,” said Dr. Smoot-Haselnus
She said those conditions can include lazy eye, which is failure of vision to develop in one, or both eyes or turning of the eyes, known as strabismus.
Dr. Smoot-Haselnus said pediatricians often conduct eye screenings to quickly check the vision. A more thorough eye exam is done in offices such as Chesapeake Eye Center.
Indicators of eye problems that can be observed by parents include, a child turning their head, squinting, sitting real close to the television, and headaches, according to Dr. Smoot-Haselnus.
“It common when children reach school age or particularly when they reach puberty and adolescence to develop refractive errors that could affect their ability to see the board and learn,” said Dr. Smoot-Haselnus.
Protective eye wear is essential for kids playing sports, according to Dr. Smoot-Haselnus. She said the protective eye wear should also protect the eyes from the sun.
