{"id":3898,"date":"2023-02-01T06:21:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T19:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/?p=3898"},"modified":"2023-09-07T23:35:20","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T13:35:20","slug":"child-vision-checks-for-school-readiness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastfamilies\/child-vision-checks-for-school-readiness\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Child’s Vision School-Ready? Why Eye Health is Integral for Academic Success."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Dr Nicholas Altuneg<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting your child ready for their first day of school can feel like a big job. Uniform pressed, school bag packed, lunch box filled, and don\u2019t forget their favourite toy or book \u2013 all in preparation for the adventure and discovery of learning and life at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in all of this excitement and anticipation, many parents overlook one very important factor that indicates their child\u2019s readiness for this next big milestone \u2013 their eyes and vision, which is integral to their ability to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They may have had their immunisations and physical or dental check ups, but do you know how well your child will process information once they\u2019re in a classroom?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how you can tell.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are they ready for learning<\/strong>
Make sure your child is prepared for school by testing their vision and hearing development. This will allow you to discover any potential barriers that might hinder their learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If issues with their sight goes undetected it could impact their academic performance, or worse, their confidence in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A child with learning related vision problems can usually learn better by using glasses for close work and\/or Vision Therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A school or preschool eye screening test could be too little too late
<\/strong>Many children receive a school or preschool eye screening test, but unfortunately these examinations often only detect the most obvious eye defects, such as how clearly a child can see letters from a distance This test doesn\u2019t measure your child\u2019s ability to see at near, reading or writing distance, the distance where most learning takes place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over 90% of vision problems are not detected by a school screening test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most typical Optometrists and Ophthalmologists also test for \u2018refractive error\u2019 but that too does little more than the Snellen test mentioned above. Vision is a complex process and seeing clearly, as measured by a letter chart, is only part of the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where Behavioural Optometry differs
<\/strong>Optometrists trained in Behavioural Optometry will be able to tell you if your child has problems with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n