Q&As on Eye Health of Your Kids for All Parents

Parents are always concerned about healthy development of their kids, physically or mentally. Eye problems like myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, squint, and amblyopia, are those which bother many teenagers or even toddlers. Here are some Q&As for parents to refer to.
 
Q: How young can a child get eye examination to do prevention work proactively? In that case, can early diagnosis be useful in preventing certain eye problems?

A: Generally speaking, most kids can get a basic eye exam sometime between the age of 2 and 3 and we recommend children around age 3 go for a basic, baseline examination. Another important point is that do not rely on school screenings. Although they could catch gross problems, they are not eye exams and after all, do not check for all the essentials necessary for good vision.

Q: My son has crossed eyes and his glasses are +4.00/+5.00 diopters. Does he have to wear the glasses? What about contacts? He is 4 years old.

A: Yes, he does have to wear the glasses. In fact, with his prescription it is recommended he wear glasses under any circumstances. Of course, he can wear contact lenses at an appropriate age. 

Q: My son is 4 and has 20/40 vision in both eyes. Should we be concerned, or could this improve with time?

A: Most importantly you should know whether he has myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. It is also important to know how well your child uses his eyes together. If you have not taken your child to go for a professional eye exam, we highly recommend you do so. Your eye doctor will tell you if 20/40 is OK or not.

Q: My son is farsighted and his eye doctor says it is OK. But if he needs a prescription, shouldn’t he be wearing prescription eyeglasses? I am really confused.

A: Most children are born farsighted, or “hyperopic”. As children grow up, this farsightedness gradually fades away. For some children it may transform right into nearsightedness. Small amounts of farsightedness are very normal and do not interfere at all with vision. Larger amounts can cause problems with reading and close work. It is important for your child to have regular exams to make sure his farsightedness fades to an acceptable level. I am farsighted, so it can’t be all that bad, right? 

Q: I have a daughter who is 10 and started to wear eyeglasses at age 9. But recently she told me that it was difficult to see the chalkboard at school. So does she need to get a pair of new prescription glasses so soon?

A: Please keep in mind that without going for an eye doctor it is rather difficult to get medical advice. We’d like to offer some relevant information which we hope may be hopeful. The fact that, rapid changes may happen in their body growth, including the eyes when children reach puberty determines that prescription can change even in a matter of months. Thus, in order to find out why your daughter cannot see the chalkboard, you should take her to an eye doctor immediately to check for a change in prescription. Most importantly, the eye exam is to exclude other problems that may cause his reduced vision. 

We really hope more parents pay much more attention to eye health of their children. If so, many children do not need eyewear so much.