I made sure to have my kids eyes checked as early as possible. I started wearing glasses at the age of 4. Not easy for a kid in kindergarten to have to wear glasses, but I had no choice. As the years went by my eyesight got worse and today it is horrible and always a concern.
My oldest had her first eye exam at age 4, just before heading to JK. She is 14 now and has her eyes examined every year! My two youngest were just 8 months old at their first check up and get their done annually as well.
Having poor eyesight myself, I have always been aware of the importance of eye exams for my kids, however not all parents are.
Getting your kids eyes checked early on, especially before they start school, is essential to their learning and success.
Children can get their eyes checked as early as 6 months old and should be checked again at age 3 and every year after that.
The Eye See.... Eye Learn® program provides eye exams to children in Junior Kindergarten throughout Ontario through our OHIP. Local optometrists will be performing eye exams and if they are required, glasses at no charge.
The statistics surrounding eye care and children is very interesting, and concerning! The Eye See... Eye Learn® program wants to help in our community.
Did you know? Fewer than 10% of children entering school each year will have an eye exam and 5 -10% of preschool children have an undetected vision problem. A staggering 60% of children with a learning disability have an undetected vision problem, Eye exams are essential for children before they enter school!
What makes eye exams and early detection of vision problems even more crucial is that 80% of all learning in children is visual and vision problems can affect hand eye coordination for physical activities and social development.
Imagine what a short eye exam could due to better these stats!
To ensure that parents in Ontario understand the issues, the Ontario Association of Optometrists created a video called Sarah's Story and have expanded the Eye See... Eye Learn® Program.
For more information on the Eye See... Eye Learn® program visit www.eyeseeeyelearn.ca and be sure to like them on Facebook!
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