Did you know that one out of four children have vision problems? And yet only 50 percent of parents with children under the age of 12 have taken their children to an eye care professional. Many children struggle needlessly with vision problems simply because they don’t know they have one. For a child in school, vision correction can make all the difference in their academic performance as well as their ability to play sports and interact with others. Eye exams ensure that children are seeing and feeling their best. But what is the difference between eye exams and vision screenings? Let’s take a look.
Vision Screenings vs Eye Exams
Vision screenings are often conducted in schools or at health fairs by nurses or technicians who check your child’s eyesight using a chart or machine. Vision screenings are meant to detect vision issues such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or cataracts. However, these tests generally cannot detect more subtle issues like lazy eye (amblyopia), binocular coordination (eye teaming), focusing problems (accommodation), color deficiencies, depth perception deficits (stereopsis) and more serious diseases like glaucoma and diabetes that can only be detected during an eye exam by an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
Eye exams on the other hand are comprehensive evaluations conducted by an optometrist or ophthalmologist which provide information about your child’s overall eye health and visual abilities including potential vision disorders that might otherwise go undetected through a basic screening test. During a comprehensive exam, your doctor will use various tests to measure how well your child sees clearly at far away distances (20/20 vision) as well as close up distances (reading). He/she will also check for any signs of eye disease and assess how your child's eyes work together when both eyes focus on an object simultaneously (binocular coordination). A comprehensive exam is important for early detection of any potential issues which can help minimize any permanent damage to your child’s eyesight later on in life.
It is essential that parents take their children for regular eye exams whether they suspect there may be an issue or not. Early detection is key! If you suspect there may be a problem with your child's vision then it is even more important to schedule an appointment with an optometrist or ophthalmologist right away so he/she can receive the proper treatment sooner rather than later. Taking small proactive steps now can prevent larger problems from arising down the line and ensure that your child has the best possible chance of enjoying clear healthy sight into adulthood!
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