Experts are stating that vision problems in children often go undetected, and they are calling for more screenings. The health of our children is the most important thing for parents everywhere, and it is something that they take very seriously. However, this means that they have to look at their whole child, and this includes their mental health, their oral health, and even their vision health. While parents make sure their children are getting regular appointments with their doctor and dentist, they may not be aware of how important it is that their eyes are getting checked.
Vision, and vision impairments, can have a large effect on their lives, particularly, their learning. That is why it is so important to make sure they are getting checked. According to Medical Xpress and AJC, vision problems in children are going undetected, and this is despite the fact that there are calls being made for regular screening.
One student recalled when she realized that her eyesight was blurry, and that was when she had to squint to see the whiteboard in her classroom. It wasn’t until her grade 8 class had a vision screening in school that she learned that she has extreme nearsightedness and lazy eye.
The CDC is estimated that more than 600,000 children and teenagers in the US have vision problems that are going undetected. A recent study has shown that most of these problems are a “simple fix,” and can be addressed with just some glasses, but they are not being discovered due to a lack of visits to an optometrist.
The blame is also being placed on the high cost of vision care, and the lack of coverage provided by insurance coverage. The issues can only be treated properly if caught early, but when time goes on and nothing is done, they can get worse and not respond as well to treatment.
Experts are stating that screening is important for children because children are not able to realize what is abnormal with their sight. They don’t know what the people around them are seeing, so they think that their vision problems are “normal,” but they are not. There are many states that have regular screenings for eyesight in children, but there are still a lot who go under the radar.
Experts are urging parents to use this as a reminder to get their child’s eyes checked out, early and often.
Sources: Medical Xpress, AJC