Why Back-to-School Eye Exams Are So Important

When it comes to raising successful children, you want to ensure that they have every resource possible to help them achieve their potential in the classroom.  From calculators to laptops, your back-to-school shopping trips have been focused on finding the tools your children need to succeed.

However, if your back-to-school expeditions haven’t included eye exams and early vision screenings, your child may have difficulty achieving his or her academic potential.

At NewView Eye Center in Reston, VA –serving the greater Northern Virginia, Fairfax County, and Washington, D.C. area – Jacqueline Griffiths, MD and her team are committed to providing patients with the information they need to make smart decisions regarding their ocular health.  That’s why Dr. Griffiths encourages all parents to have their children undergo early vision screenings in order to detect ocular and vision problems, like the ones identified in a recent and revealing study.

Revealing Study Highlights Vision Problems

Thanks to a recent study of more than 10,000 preschoolers, parents learned that eye problems could quickly lead to problems in the classroom.  Nearly a third of participants in this study had refractive errors, which are eye irregularities that can make it difficult for children to focus on an image.  Four percent of participants were nearsighted, making it difficult for them to see the blackboard; 21 percent of preschoolers were farsighted, and 10 percent suffered from astigmatism.

In other words, a significant number of children in the study suffered from eye problems that could prevent them from reaching their academic potential in the classroom.

Many of these vision problems can be difficult for parents to detect, as symptoms may not be obvious until the child is older.  Fortunately, many of the vision problems identified in the study are relatively simple to treat if caught early.  Treatments can range from obtaining prescription glasses to “patching” a stronger eye so that a weaker eye can work harder, which is what’s done with children who are suffering from amblyopia (or “lazy eye”).  Occasionally, some vision problems – such as strabismus (or “wandering eye”, a condition that causes one misaligned eye to “wander” – may require corrective surgery.

Get Your Early Vision Screening Now

To ensure that your child can achieve his or her potential in the classroom, it’s critical to have him or her undergo regular vision screening tests at the start of every school year.  To have your child undergo a back-to-school eye exam, visit Dr. Griffiths at NewView Eye Center in Reston, VA today. To learn more just fill out the form on your right or call (703) 834-9777.