{"id":16923,"date":"2021-08-22T18:12:39","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T18:12:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=16923"},"modified":"2021-08-22T18:12:39","modified_gmt":"2021-08-22T18:12:39","slug":"are-back-to-school-eye-exams-important","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/vision-therapy-and-reading\/are-back-to-school-eye-exams-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Are \u2018Back to School\u2019 Eye Exams Important?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>To ensure your child is \u2018school-ready\u2019, schedule an eye exam.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Academic success is largely dependent on healthy and clear vision\u2014 in fact 80 percent of learning comes through the visual system!<\/p>\n<p><b>Any vision problem can therefore impact a child\u2019s<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/\"> reading and learning<\/a>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Vision is much more than how well you can see at varying distances. Vision is made up of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-vision-and-learning-difficulties\/the-17-key-visual-skills\/\">17 visual skills<\/a> that make reading, writing, concentrating, playing sports\u2014 and practically every other skill \u2014 easy.<\/p>\n<p><b>Clear and comfortable vision is possible when the visual system is working efficiently and the student\u2019s visual skills are strong.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><b>Are vision screenings reliable?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b><i>No.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Many schools provide vision screenings that mainly test for distance vision clarity. This is an important assessment, as distance vision is essential for seeing the board clearly\u2014 but it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/are-school-vision-screenings-effective\/\">Vision screenings<\/a> are not always reliable and are unable to test for <i>all <\/i>vision problems, especially those that can impact learning.<\/p>\n<p><b>Bringing your child for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/pediatric-eye-exams-2\/\">comprehensive eye exam performed by an eye doctor<\/a> is the only way to be certain that your child\u2019s vision is clear and comfortable.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>If you have any concerns about your child\u2019s reading or learning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">contact an eye doctor near you<\/a> to schedule a functional vision evaluation<\/b>.<\/p>\n<p><b>SEE RELATED: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/vision-therapy-and-reading\/back-to-school-eye-exams\/\">Back to School Eye Exams<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor for children near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Are \u2018back to school\u2019 eye exams important?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b><i>Yes.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Eye doctors recommend bringing your children in for an eye exam <i>before the start of the new school year. <\/i>This will help to set your child up for academic success.<\/p>\n<p><b>Brain scans show that 80% of learning is visual.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor will assess your child\u2019s eye health, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-exams\/eye-exams\/what-is-a-visual-acuity-test\/\">visual acuity<\/a> and visual skills. All of these aspects of vision are important for success both inside the classroom and on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-sports-vision\/is-binocular-vision-important-for-sports\/\">sports field<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>If your child has a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-health\/how-does-the-eye-work\/nearsighted-or-farsighted\/\">refractive error,<\/a> your eye doctor will provide an accurate glasses prescription to ensure your child can see well.<\/p>\n<p>If your child has reduced visual skills and difficulties with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-children\/convergence-insufficiency-2\/understanding-convergence-insufficiency\/\">convergence<\/a>, eye teaming, focusing or any of the other visual skills, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/guide-to-vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-faqs\/\">vision therapy<\/a> may be recommended to improve those skills.<\/p>\n<p>Bringing your child for a \u2018back to school\u2019 eye exam will ensure that your child has all the tools they need to reach their full potential.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Screen time and vision problems<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>As a result of the COVID pandemic, online learning has become the new normal. But parents, beware! According to the <i>Indian Journal of Ophthalmology<\/i>, online classes have caused the allowance of daily screen time to double!<\/p>\n<p>Prolonged screen time can cause <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/general-practice-optometry\/guide-to-eye-conditions\/guide-to-blurry-vision-and-headaches\/digital-eye-strain\/\">digital eye strain (DES)<\/a> and a wide range of symptoms that are not only uncomfortable, but can also make online learning more difficult.<\/p>\n<p><b>If your child <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/help-my-child-dislikes-online-learning\/\">complains about online learning<\/a>, and avoids school work or attending classes, they may have a vision problem.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Symptoms of digital eye strain:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Eye pain<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Eye fatigue<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Dry eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Blurred vision<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Headaches<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Shoulder and neck pain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With the pandemic not yet behind us, online learning may still be a reality. If your child experiences frequent headaches or difficulty concentrating in front of the screen, they may have an undetected vision problem.<\/p>\n<p><b>LEARN MORE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/\">Vision for School<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Whether your child will be learning inside a classroom or from home, begin the school year on the right foot by <b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\">scheduling an eye exam with an eye doctor near you<\/a>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i>Vision is much more than how well you can see at varying distances.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p><i>Vision is made up of 17 visual skills that impact reading, writing, concentrating, playing sports, and a child\u2019s overall success in school.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>To ensure your child is \u2018school-ready\u2019, schedule an eye exam. Academic success is largely dependent on healthy and clear vision\u2014 in fact 80 percent of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1206,"featured_media":16925,"parent":1019,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16923","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Are \u2018Back to School\u2019 Eye Exams Important? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/vision-therapy-and-reading\/are-back-to-school-eye-exams-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Are \u2018Back to School\u2019 Eye Exams Important? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To ensure your child is \u2018school-ready\u2019, schedule an eye exam. 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