It is particularly important for school aged children to have eye exams before entering the school system as they may not "know" that they are not seeing everything the same as others. Watch Sarah's Story a video that demonstrates the importance of getting your child's eyes checked early.
The Ontario Association of Optometrists recognizes the important link between eye health and learning, and recommends comprehensive eye examinations for all children entering kindergarten. The Eye See...Eye Learn ® program will help make sure our kindergarten students get the best start to learning.
Read below to find out the solution offered by the OAO.
Problem
·
Each year, fewer than 10 per cent of children have an eye exam before
entering school, despite the fact that 25 per cent of all children have a vision
problem significant enough to impair their ability to learn.[i]
Eye exams can also detect asymptomatic, but potentially life-threatening, eye
conditions.
o
Approximately 60 per cent of children with literacy problems have an
undiagnosed vision problem[iii]
o
80 per cent of all learning is visual,[iv]
so children who cannot see the board or focus on a picture or follow words in a
book may struggle to achieve their full learning potential
o
Vision problems can impact a child’s hand-eye coordination for
physical activities and even their social development
Solution:
·
To ensure Ontarians understand the importance of comprehensive eye
examinations for children, the Ontario Association of Optometrists (OAO) has
launched a video called Sarah’s Story and expanded the Eye See…Eye Learn ®
program.
program.
o
The Eye See…Eye Learn® program allows children entering Junior
Kindergarten to receive a comprehensive eye examination, provided by
a Doctor of Optometry
o
If the child requires a pair of glasses, they will receive them free
of charge through the program
o
The eye exams for children are covered under provincial health
insurance (or OHIP) when you show the child’s health card, meaning that there is
no out-of-pocket cost for the eye exam
o
Comprehensive eye examinations enable Doctors of Optometry to
diagnose and treat children with eye health and vision problems before they
begin grade one
· Doctors of Optometry, in comparison to opticians, are able to test and diagnose eye disease through an oculo-visual assessment[v]
·
OAO’s video, Sarah’s Story, highlights the value that regular eye
examinations by a Doctor of Optometry can provide for children with undiagnosed
vision and health-related problems
Vision
·
OAO encourages all parents across the province to ensure their
children’s eyes are examined by a Doctor of Optometry at 6 months of age, three
years of age and then every 12 months after that (or as recommended by an
optometrist). Parents in participating regions are encouraged to book their
children for their Eye See…Eye Learn® exam.
o
Data from nine participating regions show that for nearly 81 per cent
of the children participating in the ESEL program, the ESEL eye exam is the
child’s first eye exam
o
On average, 12 per cent of children that are receiving their first
eye exam through participation in the ESEL program are prescribed
glasses
§
In some regions this number is as high as 16 per cent
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