Most of us know the importance of having regular eye exams in our adult years, but when it comes to kids’ vision, it’s easy to underestimate the value of good eye care. Pediatric eye exams can play a critical role in your child’s growth and development with benefits that can’t be ignored.
As a leading pediatric ophthalmology practice in Arizona, ABC Children's Eye Specialists is committed to helping kids and teens maintain clear vision and healthy eyes with comprehensive exams tailored to their unique needs.
To mark Healthy Vision Month, our team is dedicating this post to helping parents understand how pediatric eye exams can benefit their child’s vision and their overall wellness, too.
Vision issues can be difficult to detect, especially in kids who may not recognize there’s a problem. Regular pediatric eye exams detect vision issues like nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, amblyopia (lazy eye), and color blindness, so they can be treated before more serious complications occur.
Plus, regular exams give our team a chance to compare eye exam results from one year to the next, looking for subtle changes that could indicate an early stage of an eye disease or another developing problem.
Good vision is critical for learning activities and school performance, too. When a child’s vision is compromised, they have more difficulty keeping up with in-class lessons, homework, and special projects. Kids who have trouble seeing can even hamper group activities.
Worse, your child’s lack of participation or poor performance on homework and tests may be misinterpreted as a lack of interest or motivation, resulting in feelings of frustration and low self-esteem.
By identifying and correcting vision issues as early as possible, we help your child succeed and develop a stronger sense of accomplishment.
Vision problems can affect physical performance, too, interfering with balance, coordination, and depth perception. An undiagnosed vision issue can result in poor performance in sports and regular play activities, limiting your child’s involvement with their peers and making it harder for your child to develop strong social skills.
Not surprisingly, deficits in learning activities, sports, and socializing can take a toll on your child’s emotional well-being. Persistent feelings of failure and inadequacy can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, and even depression.
Correcting vision issues prevents the problems that can lead to social isolation and behavioral issues that come from feeling like they don’t “fit in” with their peers.
Childhood is a period of rapid growth and development, and that means your child’s eye health and vision needs can change rapidly, too. Regular pediatric eye exams keep track of your child’s eye health with special assessments that can help track changes and address them before they cause problems.
Sometimes, a vision issue is a sign of an underlying health problem, like diabetes or nerve or muscular disorders. Pediatric eye exams look for these signs, too, so they can recommend additional follow-up visits with your child’s pediatrician or other specialists.
Finally, taking your child to see their eye doctor on a regular basis removes the anxiety associated with medical visits and helps set a pattern of healthy behavior that can last a lifetime.
Our team works solely with pediatric patients, so we can help your child understand the important role of vision care and get comfortable with the eye exam process, too.
Don’t leave your child’s vision to chance. To schedule a pediatric eye exam for your child, call our offices to request an appointment with the team at ABC Children’s Eye Specialists in Phoenix, Avondale, Sun City, Gilbert, and Mesa, Arizona, today.
