Positively Parenting: Eyeing proper vision care for kids

Once a month, we pose a question submitted by one of our readers to a local professional or expert regarding parenting issues. For this issue’s question, a reader has concerns about her son’s vision. We turned to our very own island optometrist Charlie Turner of Island Eye Care for the answer.

QUESTION:

“My son got his glasses at age 9. Now, at 10, his teacher told me he is having troubling seeing the chalkboard at school. Is it possible that he needs a new prescription so soon?”

ANSWER:

The short answer: Absolutely.

The longer answer: There are a few types of prescriptions, or refractive error, that this young man may have. Farsightedness, astigmatism, and nearsightedness are the most common types of prescription at this age and all ages. Most likely he is nearsighted, which means that he has trouble seeing far off distances, like a smart board at school. The most common way to spot a nearsighted child, is squinting while looking at objects at a distance.

Nearsightedness is very common amongst school-age children, with the most common ages of onset being 7-12. Children can have prescriptions at ages even younger than seven. Also, the fastest rate of change is during these years as well. If a child is nearsighted, and gets their first pair of glasses at age 8 or 9, we would expect their eyes to continue to change. In fact, most patients don’t stop changing until their mid 20s.

What should a parent look for with your children? From my experience, with single digit kids (age wise) you “find” eye problems, and double digit kids can tell you they have an eye problem. Asking a 6-9 year old how well they see doesn’t often help much in a clinical setting, as they often don’t know what they should be seeing.

A wellness exam with an Optometrist is the easiest way for a parent to understand how well their child sees, which is where most of their learning during these years is derived.

What can a parent expect with a child that currently wears glasses or contact lenses? If a child is wearing glasses or traditional soft contact lenses, you can expect a prescription change, almost annually. Certainly, all eyes are different, but once nearsightedness begins, it tends to progress. Over the last decade a preventative contact lens therapy has come to the market called Orthokeratology. This therapy is geared towards correcting vision as well as preventing annual increases.

How serious are regular prescription changes? Am I going blind? These questions are asked daily at our office. While prescription increases feel disconcerting, they don’t have a big impact with annual eye care. Don’t worry about the prescription, as we have lenses for everyone, no matter how much they may progress. The biggest impact prescription changes can have is the future eligibility of refractive surgery when the child enters their 20s and beyond, as refractive surgery can be restrictive at high prescriptions.

Recommendations? Schedule a complete eye exam with an Optometrist. Screenings at schools and pediatricians office can help, but only give general information.

Embrace any needs your child may have. Kids today like glasses, and children can begin to wear contact lenses as early as five years old. The only thing children care about with respect to their glasses is what color they will be.

One of my favorite things about being on Daniel Island for the last 12 years has been all the children we meet, and watching them see for the first time with their new glasses. We’ve created a great system in office to teach children how to wear contact lenses, and most importantly, how to feel comfortable in an eye exam.

Dr. Charles J. Turner is a therapeutically licensed Optometrist, which allows him to treat eye infections and diseases of the eye, as well as prescribe glasses and contact lenses. Dr. Turner is Daniel Island‘s first Optometrist, a distinction for which Dr. Turner and his office are very proud.