Back to School: Vision Basics

Back to School: Vision Basics

Alright, let’s go through the checklist for back to school. School supplies? Check. Even packs of Ticonderoga pencils! First day of school outfit? Check. Annual eye exam? Ummmm.

Your child’s vision development is so important. Undetected vision and eye issues can be easily detected with a comprehensive eye exam. With early detection, your eye doctor can effectively treat conditions before they become severe. In 2018, Mabee Eye Clinic became an InfantSEE provider. This program is designed to ensure eye and vision care becomes an essential part of infant wellness care by providing a comprehensive infant eye assessment between six to twelve months old. At this age of infancy your child’s visual system is beginning to more accurately see and track in their environment.

If the doctor does not find any issues we recommend another exam at age three and then again at the start of school. Some schools may have outside organizations do vision screenings annually. Keep in mind this is not an examination. These screenings do not help detect the presence of visual health issues. Certain skills are assessed in comprehensive exams such as eye teaming, peripheral vision, ease of focusing from distance to near, and hand-eye coordination along with common pediatric eye conditions such as strabismus and amblyopia. 

Strabismus is a common eye condition seen in children where one eye is visibly misaligned giving them a cross-eyed appearance. This misalignment can also lead to amblyopia or a decreased vision in one eye over another. Sometimes, these eye conditions can be corrected through some form of vision therapy. The most common method is patching, where a child will wear a patch over the good eye to help strengthen the poor eye. The time a child wears a patch can vary. Some may need to wear them for a few hours every day, but some will wear a patch most of the day. If a patch is not the best option for your child, an optometrist may also prescribe a special kind of drop that works in the same manner as patching.

It is important to remember that vision problems do not lead to a learning disability but can cause some struggles with learning. This is referred to as learning-related vision problems. Some symptoms include:

• Dislike or avoidance of reading and close work

• Placing the head very close to the book or desk when reading or writing

• Short attention span during visual tasks

• Turning or tilting the head to use one eye only, or closing or covering on an eye

• Slow reading speed or poor reading comprehension

• Difficulty remembering what was read

• Omitting or repeating words, or confusing similar words

• Persistent reversal of words or letters (after second grade)

• Difficulty remembering, identifying or reproducing shapes

• Poor eye-hand coordination

If you have a concern related to your child’s learning, consult your child’s classroom teacher first. Learning is multi-faceted and one of these does not necessarily mean it is vision-related.

80% of learning is done visually and with nearly 50% of schools in the United States being one-to-one computing, where each student has an electronic device to complete school work. This can increase the strain on young children’s eyes. While exposing children to technology is a great thing, it also comes with its share of negatives. The most popular one you may have seen floating around the internet is the effects of blue light.

The main source of blue light in our world comes from the sun. This is one of the reasons why your optometrist recommends a good pair of sunglasses. The next largest source of blue light emitted comes from LED screens on computers, tablets, smartphones, and other digital devices. Prolonged periods on these digital devices can contribute to computer vision syndrome, CVS, or digital eye strain. Some symptoms may include:

• Fluctuating vision

• Tired eyes

• Dry eyes

• Headaches and fatigue

• Neck, back, and shoulder pain

Luckily, we have some simple remedies to help with digital eye strain.

First, we recommend all patients to follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every twenty minutes take a twenty-second break and look at something at least twenty feet away. During this time take a good posture check. Sit up straight and realign the head, neck, and shoulder along with moving the head slowly to the right and left and up and down. If possible, get up to walk and stretch the entire body. Poor posture is the common reason for symptoms of neck, back, and shoulder pain related to computer vision syndrome.

Second, we recommend establishing a media-free time in your day preferably one hour before bed. Another effect of blue light exposure deals with sleep. Light helps control our natural sleep and wake cycle, or circadian rhythm. Blue light can block the development of the hormone melatonin that makes you sleepy. Some devices have a blue light filter or night mode you can automatically set at certain points of your day.

Third, would be to have a pair of glasses with an anti-reflective coating or blue light filter. Yes, you can get a pretty cheap pair of blue light glasses on Amazon. However, you need to be careful when selecting these products. A few products are marked as computer or gaming glasses. Some of them may have some small magnification. Some may have some prism. Some may even have a version of an no line bifocal. These glasses can cause more harm than good. The best pair of glasses is the one that are specific to your prescription and in alignment with your visual system. At your next eye exam, ask your doctor about a computer or office pair of lenses that will best fit your prescription and needs.

Let’s go over that checklist one more time. School supplies? Check. First day of school outfit? Check! Annual eye exam? Check!

References

Bailey, G. (2016). A guide to children’s vision problems.  All About Vision. Retrieved June 25th, 2020, from https://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/child_vision.htm

Heiting, G. (2019). Children and technology: protecting your child’s eye.  All About Vision. Retrieved June 25th, 2020, from https://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/children-computer-vision-syndrome.htm

Heiting, G. (2017). Vision problems of school-age children.  All About Vision. Retrieved June 25th, 2020, from https://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/schoolage.htm

DeFranco, L. (2017). Kid’s glasses: 10 tips for buying children’s eyewear.  All About Vision. Retrieved June 25th, 2020, from https://www.allaboutvision.com/en-gb/eyeglasses/children/10-tips/

Murphy, R. & Heiting, G. (N.D.). Vision-related learning problems: are they holding your child back.  All About Vision. Retrieved June 25th, 2020, from https://www.allaboutvision.com/en-gb/vision-problems-learning/

Richardson, D. (N.D.). What is the difference between and eye exam and a vision screening. VSP: Ask an Eye Doctor. Retrieved July 7th, 2020, from https://www.vsp.com/eyewear-wellness/ask-eye-doctor/eye-exam-vs-vision-screening