As you help your little learners strap on their SpongeBob backpacks and head off to preschool for the first time, how confident are you that their vision health is in A+ condition?
Geteyesmart.org conducted a recent study of more than 10,000 preschoolers to equip parents with information on vision risks based on ethnicity and other factors and to underscores the importance of early vision screenings.
The study found that nearly a third of the preschoolers had refractive errors (slight irregularities in eye shape that affect how well images can focus on the retina). About 4-percent were nearsighted, 21-percent were farsighted and 10-percent had astigmatism. Also, about 5-percent of the children had amblyopia, known as “lazy eye,” and about 2 percent had strabismus, a misalignment condition commonly called “wandering eye.”
These conditions can occur individually or simultaneously, and may need to be corrected as early in life as possible, ideally before kindergarten. If untreated, some of these conditions can result in permanent vision impairment. Because of the potential for these kinds of problems, eye exams are legally required for all children entering kindergarten in Nebraska (and several other states).
Make sure your preschoolers pack healthy vision in their bookbags by calling our office today and scheduling a vision screening with one of the ilumin ophthalmologists.
