Kids' Back to School Eye Exams

Time for Kids' Back to School Eye Exams

With back-to-school time around the corner, parents will be scrambling to buy new school supplies and clothes. As they tick off their long list of school to-dos, we are reminding moms and dads not to neglect one of the most important learning tools: their children’s eyes. Good vision and overall eye health are vital to learning. Because children are still growing, being vigilant about eye health is important.

Tips for Kids’ Healthy Eyes & Vision

Get Regular Childhood Vision Screenings - Children’s eyes change rapidly, making regular vision screenings an important step in detecting and correcting eye problems early. In addition to screenings for infants, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends further vision screening for children when they are:

>Pre-School age, between age 3 and 3 and a half

>Entering School

>Experiencing a Possible Vision Problem 

Know and Share Your Family Eye Health History - Everyone should find out whether eye conditions or diseases run in their family. Parents should share that information with the person performing the screening or eye exam when possible. Examples of common eye conditions include nearsightedness, crossed eye, known as strabismus, and lazy eye, known as amblyopia. If these are not treated in childhood, they can cause permanent vision loss in one eye.   

Watch for Signals of Eye Problems - Parents should be alert to symptoms that could indicate an eye or vision problem, such as complaints of eyestrain, headaches and squinting when reading or performing other common activities. Other symptoms to look for include a white or grayish-white coloring in the pupil, one eye that turns in or out, or eyes that do not track in sync together.

Wear Protective Eyewear When Playing Sports - Eye injuries while playing sports can cause serious damage, whether by getting smacked with an elbow during basketball or hit with a hockey stick. If your child plays racket sports, hockey, field hockey, baseball or basketball, consider having them wear goggles or other certified protective eyewear. 

If you or someone you know has a child that needs to schedule an eye exam please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.          

Vision Problems in Preschool Children

Vision problems and visual impairment in preschool children can lead to learning and development problems that impacts long term academic and even social success. Researchers reporting in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology studied the prevalence, demographic and geographic variations of visual impairment in kids and projected what might lie ahead.

In 2015, more than 174 000 children aged 3 to 5 years in the United States were visually impaired. Almost 121 000 of these cases (69%) arose from simple uncorrected refractive error, and 43 000 (25%) from bilateral amblyopia. The number of preschool children with visual impairment is projected to increase by 26% in 2060. Hispanic white children will account for the largest number and proportion of cases, followed by African American children.

This study suggests that the number of preschool children with visual impairment is projected to increase disproportionally, especially among minority populations. Vision screening for refractive error and related eye diseases may prevent a high proportion of preschool children from experiencing unnecessary visual impairment and associated developmental delays.

Smartphones & Dry Eyes in Kids

Symptoms of dry eyes and dry eye disease as well as ocular fatigue are known problems that can result from the excessive use of video display terminals. Kids today spend an awful lot of time texting on smartphones, playing games on smartphones and generally just engaged with various apps on smartphones. Researchers were interested in learning more about any increased risk and progression of pediatric dry eye disease that might be associated with smartphone use. Not unexpected was the conclusion that increased VDT use such as smartphones or computers in children was found to be associated with the occurrence of ocular surface symptoms of dryness and fatigue. Also somewhat expected was the clinical finding that the longer the kids used the smartphones the greater the symptoms and disturbance of the eyes’ surface. The authors then suggested being aware of excessive smartphone use in kids and educating them as to reducing their use of smartphones if they become troubled by eye fatigue or dryness symptoms.

If you have kids that are heavy users of smartphones or iPads or tablets of any type and they complain about dry eyes, grittiness, sandiness or have red burning eyes and even eye fatigue, please be aware that the VDT may be having a negative impact on the child and schedule an appointment so that we be sure there are no other eye problems. Please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.           

Sunglasses Help Protect You From Serious Eye Problems!

With summer in full swing, the days are longer, the sun hotter, and the threat from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet rays, greater. Excess sun exposure can put you at risk of serious short-term and long-term eye problems. This is true for young and old, year-round. Prevention is simple. Wear sunglasses that block ultraviolet radiation.

Keeping Your Eyes Safe from the Sun

When shopping for sunglasses always ask the optician or look for a tag or label that says 100% protection against both UVA and UVB or 100% protection against UV 400. UV protection is the essential piece you need to look for in a pair of sunglasses. Darkness and color do not indicate the strength of UV protection, and neither does the price tag! There is no doubt about the consequences of not protecting your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays. If your eyes are exposed to strong sunlight for too long without proper protection, UV rays can burn the cornea-called photokeratitis- and cause temporary blindness in a matter of hours. Long-term sun exposure is linked to more serious eye disease, such as cataracts, certain types eyelid cancer and growths on or near the eye. A lifetime of exposure also likely increases progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that can cause blindness. In addition to wearing UV protecting sunglasses, also consider wearing a hat with broad brim. They have been shown to significantly cut exposure to harmful rays. Also, don’t forget the sunscreen! 

If you or someone you know wants to learn more about UV damage to the eye or select and be fit with proper sunglasses, please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.