Children's Eye Exams:The Important Connection between Vision and Learning

It is that time of year when the activities of summer are keeping you so busy having fun that it is easy to forget the start of a new school year is just around the corner.  While summer is a great time to relax by engaging in various recreational activities and family vacations, it is also a great time to schedule exams for your children as they are on break from the busy school year.  As such, summer is a great time to get a comprehensive eye exam for your children in order to make sure they have optimal vision to aid their ability to learn.    

The majority of all we learn is attributable to the information we are able to process from the images we see.  Recent studies confirm this strong correlation between Vision and Learning as 80% of what a child learns is presented visually.  We know that reading is enhanced when our eyes are functioning properly, and many learning difficulties can be attributed to poor vision.  Unfortunately, the statistics show that only around 31% of children from ages 6 to 16 years old have an eye exam each year.  In addition, 70% of children under the age of six years old have never had an eye exam.  As a result of these infrequent or missed eye exams, one in four children will go back to school this year with an undiagnosed vision problem that could interfere with their ability to see and learn.

I encourage every parent to give their child the best opportunity to learn this school year by ensuring they have proper visual function.  A back to school eye exam from your eye care professional can help make sure that your child has the best opportunity to succeed and give parents piece of mind before the new school year even begins.