Much of what a child learns comes through vision.  That is why good vision is essential for children to have every opportunity to reach their full potential.  Just like the rest of a child's body, the eyes and visiual system undergo many changes during development and optimal development depends on early experience.  It is important to understand that a child (or anyone) with a vision problem may not know they have it - they may simply think everyone sees and interprets the world as they do.  This is why parents need to be alert for signs of vision problems and seek early professional care.  Fortunately, most children's vission issues can be treated effectively, especially if treated early.

Too often people think of good vision only as whether or not they can see '20/20.' Or, in other words, whether they can identify an object at 20 feet that a person with “normal” sight acuity can identify. The truth is, this is only one component of healthy vision.

Optometric physicians often identify patients who have struggled for years in school, work and recreation when a treatable vision condition was actually underlying the problem. In fact, there are many cases of children put in “resource rooms,” labeled as ADD, or held back in school, when in reality an unidentified vision problem was playing a crucial role in their difficulties.

Accordingly, vision care should be started early and become part of your family’s yearly back-to-school regimen, just like getting a physical, and buying new shoes and notebooks. There are treatments and tools for maximizing your child’s vision to help ensure he or she will excel in life.