The importance of an early eye test!

Approximately one in five Australian children suffers from an undetected vision problem, or requires ongoing assessment. To help give children the best chance of reaching their full potential, it is important for parents to recognise the possible symptoms of vision difficulties.

Many signs of your child’s vision problems are quite obvious, but others are harder to identify. Some of the more common signs include:

  • one eye turning in or out while the other points straight ahead
  • noticeable tilting or turning of the head when the child is looking at something
  • frequent blinking or rubbing of the eyes
  • red or watery eyes
  • difficulty reading, such as skipping and confusing words, and holding a book very close while reading
  • complaints of headaches and blurred or double vision
  • squinting or having difficulty recognising things or people in the distance.

Many children try to adapt to their vision problem without knowing they could see better. As a parent you are best placed to detect the signs of a potential vision problem.

Through regular eye examinations and by following some simple guidelines you can help your child to achieve the best possible vision and prevent conditions that can lead to permanent vision impairment.*

The most common vision problems experienced by school-aged children are those affecting the ability to see clearly and sharply:

  • Shortsightedness (blurred distance vision)
  • Longsightedness (difficulty focusing up close)
  • Astigmatism (distortion of vision).

Once recognised, these problems are usually easy to correct. Other vision problems may be more difficult to detect, such as a turned or lazy eye, and require treatment by an optometrist. Early detection is the key. An eyetest only takes between 20 and 30 minutes. Eyelines bulk bill Medicare for eyetests to children under the age of 17.

Eyelines has value for money kids frame and lens packages.

* adapted from the Optometry Australia website.
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