Magnifying kids’ back to school eye health

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) -A child needs many abilities to succeed in the classroom, but vision is certainly key.

Vision in children is rapidly changing as they grow and mature. Most schools offer vision screenings, but the American Optometric Association finds those exams miss up to 75% of children with vision problems.

Vision accounts for up to 80% of a child’s learning, therefore, even the slightest eyesight issue can have a severe impact on a child’s performance in the classroom.

“I see plenty of kids who come in, parents don’t think there’re any problems at all or don’t think they’re vision related problems...kids falling behind, not reading at the right age [level] that all can be affected by their vision,” says Dr. Dellaria-Terrill, SSM Health optometrist.

Dr. Dellaria-Terrill stresses the importance of children having a full comprehensive eye exam before heading back to school, as she is seeing far more kids come into her office with complaints of eye dryness and nearsightedness.

“Usually dryness, it’s a very common condition but it usually comes on later in life, middle-aged I would say, and I’m seeing a lot more kids with dryness symptoms than I ever have before,” starts Dr. Dellaria-Terrill.

Signs to look for with vision issues include complaints of discomfort and fatigue, frequent eye rubbing or blinking, short attention spans, frequent headaches, and difficulty remembering when reading.

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