WHY is vision screening important?
The first few years of a child’s life are critical in the development of good vision.
Children should have their vision checked for issues such as misaligned eyes, and problems that need correction with eyeglasses. These problems are not always evident by simply looking at a child.
Young children often compensate for vision problems so well that parents, teachers, and pediatricians are unaware of a problem. Many common vision robbing conditions such as “lazy eye” can be effectively treated if detected in a child’s formative years. KidSight, a Lions Club community service program provides a simple, non-invasive and cost-free vision screening test performed on young children. It requires no medication or preparation and is PAINLESS. It does require parental permission.
KidSight screens for the following:
Hyperopia – “Far-sightedness” is the difficulty seeing objects that are near. Untreated this can contribute to “crossing of the eyes” but can be corrected with glasses.
Myopia – “Near-sightedness” is when the eyes focus incorrectly, making distant objects appear blurred. It can be treated with glasses.
Astigmatism- A condition in which the cornea has an abnormal curve causing out-of- focus vision.
Anisometropia – This condition can adversely affect the development of binocular vision in infants and children. The brain will often suppress the vision of the blurrier eye in a condition called Amblyopia or “lazy eye.”
Strabismus – Eyes are not directed to an object simultaneously. Sometimes the eyes deviate outward and sometimes inward.
Original source can be found here.
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