I’m one of the lucky ones—in fact one of the only lucky ones, in our entire family who doesn’t have a vision problem that requires wearing glasses. However, because of our family history, I knew there was a high probability of our children needing glasses, so I have been taking our boys to the optometrist regularly since they were toddlers. It is actually recommended to start bringing your babies (yes, babies!) for their first eye exam between 6 and 9 months of age, which I will be doing for Jonathan. There’s really no reason not to, as Alberta Health covers all comprehensive eye exams for children up to 18 years old and adults 65+. Urgent or medically necessary visits to an optometrist are covered for everyone in Alberta.
Children’s Eye Health and Overall Health
Did you know that regular eye exams by a doctor of optometry play an essential role in maintaining your child’s overall health? With the potential to detect underlying health conditions such as cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure, a complete eye exam can possibly save a life.
Children’s Eye Health and Learning
When our oldest son Braden turned 5 I took him to see an optometrist. She told us he was at the borderline for needing glasses and to bring him back in August before he started kindergarten. Upon that examination, it was determined that he needed to wear glasses for farsightedness. It was really important to me to get his eye health checked out, not only to ensure good overall health, but because I wanted him to have the best start possible in school. Did you know that 80% of learning is visual for the first 12 years of a child’s life and that 1 in 4 school-aged children has a vision problem?
I didn’t want him having trouble focusing and struggling to learn in kindergarten, and I found out that many of children’s vision problems can be corrected if found early enough. I also learned that up to 60% of children who are diagnosed with learning disabilities actually have undetected vision problems — it’s free to get their vision checked out, so I think we should all just do it for our kids!
For more information and to book an appointment with a doctor of optometry near you, visit the Alberta Association of Optometrists.
Win a Family Eye Care Package!
Enter the Test Your Family’s Eye-Q contest for a chance to WIN a family eye health care package valued up to $800.
Disclosure: This post has been generously sponsored by the Alberta Association of Optometrists. The opinions and language are my own.
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