It is important to identify vision problems early.

With most schools being back in session, it is safe to say another summer has come and gone. September brings about the onslaught of a busy school schedule – homework, extracurricular activities and fall sports.

Studies have shown that seeing clearly has been directly linked to successful learning of children, especially at a young age. Visual learning is critical in early childhood education, where the foundation of educational building blocks occur. Having a yearly eye exam by an optometrist offers parents the peace of mind, knowing they have equipped their child with the best tools to be successful in school!

Older children and adults are able to notice when vision may change. Letters and words go from crystal clear, to slightly blurry, to not able to clearly see the chalk board (or white board) anymore. As your kids grow and move from elementary school, to middle and high school, it becomes easier for them to notice a difference their vision.

If your children are in preschool, kindergarten or elementary school, it may be more difficult for them to notice changes in vision, and communicate that to you. For this reason it is especially important for you to watch for the signs that they are struggling to see.

Some things to look for in young children are:

• Saying their eyes are tired.
• Seem to see better during the day than at night.
• Clumsy, knocking things over of tripping often (while this may just also be the awkward growing stage it may be linked to their inability to see clearly).
• Holding objects close to their face in order to see.
• Excess rubbing of their eyes.
• Tilting or turning their head.
• Covering one eye when looking at things close up.
• Misaligned eyes or squinting.
• • Complaining of headaches.

As parents, we try to do everything we can to help our children be as successful as possible. By looking for signs such as these, you can be proactive in providing them the best opportunity to experience the love of learning.

Yearly eye exams starting as early as preschool could help to make a difference and provide a clear future for your children, and also help in the detection of early stages of eye diseases. Early detection is key in being able to treat and manage eye diseases!

About the author: John D. Bissell, owner of Bissell Eye Care and Tri-State Low Vision Services, offers comprehensive eye examinations for the entire family, ocular disease detection and treatment, eye glasses, sun glasses, active wear, contact lenses, and low vision examinations for those with significant vision loss. He has undergone specialized training for treatment of low vision by the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists utilizing customized telescopic eyeglasses, prisms and telescopic implants for patients who qualify. The practice accepts most types of vision and health insurance plans.