5 Reasons to Schedule a Back to School Eye Exam

It has been a beautiful, warm summer here in Asheville. There is more to see and do while the kids are out of school than you could possibly do in one break from school. Parents and children are busy throughout the area trying to spend a few more moments together, hike one more trail, tube the river one last time, or sneak in one last beach trip before school is back in session.

While families are frantically fulfilling their final summer activities, while also shopping for school supplies and trying to get the kids back onto regular bedtime and morning routines, one of the most important things to do before classes begin is schedule a back-to-school eye exam. In this article, we will discuss # reasons to see the eye doctor before the first day of school:

1) It's Probably Time for an Exam

School-aged children should have their eyes examined by an eye doctor at least every two years. Parents know well how busy life gets during the school year. While the kids are still home, and you’re not in the midst of driving them all over western North Carolina to extracurricular activities, the time is right to schedule an eye exam.

2) Vision Affects Learning

Your child’s vision has a profound impact on how they learn. A substantial amount of the learning process for your child involves their eyes. Though it's especially true for young children, even teenagers may not know how to communicate issues with their vision, or they might not even realize that they are experiencing complications with their eyes. Scheduling a back-to-school eye exam may help prevent frustration for you and your child by removing barriers that neither of you could see, allowing them to excel in the way you know they can.

3) Your Child is Growing and Their Vision Changing

It may be time to update your child’s eyeglasses or contacts, as their vision may have changed since their eyes were last examined. Though your child’s school may provide helpful vision screenings, a thorough exam at Asheville Vision Associates will include:

Checking for nearsightedness
Checking for farsightedness
Checking for colorblindness
Checking for astigmatism and blurred vision
Testing the eye-tracking and focusing

Identifying vision problems as soon as possible will benefit your child and their learning ability for years to come.

4. There Might Already Be Symptoms

Your child may be exhibiting symptoms of undiagnosed vision problems you have not yet noticed or recognized as such. Sometimes vision symptoms will manifest similarly to boredom and ADHD. Symptoms include:

Difficulty making eye contact with teachers, parents, and other students
Frequent Headaches
Problems with reading out loud and overall reading comprehension
Frequently squinting and rubbing eyes
It takes a long time to complete classwork and homework
The child is often frustrated doing classwork
Apparent inability to sit still
Covering one eye or tilting their head to the side
Holding reading materials close to or far from their face
Apparent short attention span
Loses place while reading

It is easy to mistake these symptoms for boredom with school, ADHD, or just “kids being kids.” Scheduling an eye exam before the new school year begins will help determine if vision issues are at the root of learning difficulties and help your child in their future academic pursuits.

5. Establish Good Nutrition Habits

At Asheville Vision Associates, we are passionate about helping people understand how your overall nutrition and health impacts your vision. As part of your child’s eye exam, we will recommend steps to take to improve your child’s nutrition and eye health.