The moment you become a parent; the worrying never stops. Have they had enough to eat? Are they warm enough? Do they have friends in school? If they sneeze should I take them to the doctor?
My kid’s would call this nagging, but I would call it being a great mom!
You always want to give your kids all they need in order to excel, which is why it is so important to stay on top of your child’s eye health so they can reach their full potential in and beyond the classroom. As October is Children’s Vision Month, I thought it would be appropriate to share my personal experience with my son’s vision.
My oldest son Jake is 11. He has been seeing a doctor of optometry (optometrist) since he was 6 months old. (As a parent who has had vision problems and corrective glasses since the age of 7, healthy eyes and poor vision have always been on my radar). He had healthy eyes and his visual skills were developing normally. However, by the time Jake reached grade 4, he started to experience difficulty keeping up in school. Jake had always done well at school, so when I took him for his yearly eye exam, I was not surprised that the decline in his attention at school was due to a vision problem. The optometrist performed a comprehensive exam and gave us a prescription that we filled with a pair of COOL Spiderman-themed glasses. Once again, Jake began to let me know how clear everything was.
It’s important for parents to know that 80% of learning is obtained through vision. By ensuring that your child has healthy visual skills, you enable them get the most out of play, learning and socializing. And with 1 in 4 school-age children having a vision issue (with no easy to detect symptoms), it’s important that children have regular eye exams with a doctor of optometry. Kids should have their first visit by 6 months old, and once again between the ages of 2-5. As school starts, annual exams are a must in order to ensure that your child’s visual system is developing normally. Canada makes this process especially easy as most provinces offer some form of coverage for kid’s eye exams.
I strongly encourage you to book an eye exam with a doctor of optometry and to help your children reach their full potential.
And while you’re at it, enter the Family Eye Health contest on Facebook for a chance to WIN a $500 gift card set to celebrate Children’s Vision Month! Prize: A $250 VISA gift card and $250 Chapters Indigo gift card. Ends November 2nd!
Disclaimer: This post has been generously sponsored by the Canadian doctors of optometry, the opinions and language are my own.
