Vision Health Month

D6 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, FRIDAY MAY 24, 2019 The 33rd annual event, presented by the Chil- dren's Hospital Foundation of Manitoba, will take place on Sunday, May 26 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at As- siniboine Park. Kids can bring their bear for a visit with medical professionals at Dr. Goodbear Clinic, which includes the Bear Eye Care tent. For Dr. Irene Mestito-Dao, a Doctor of Optometry at Henderson Vision Centre, it's a great opportu- nity to educate both kids and adults about children's vision. "We sit the kids down and ask them when the last eye exam was for their bear and whether they have any con- cerns about their bear's vi- sion," she explained. "We get the teddy bears to read a chart and we ask the same questions that we would normally ask during an eye exam." The children discuss whether their teddy bears have any problems such as red eyes, tired eyes, eye turns or sensitivity to light. "It's a fun event, of course, but we also have a captive audience. I've seen 12-year- olds there who've never had an eye exam. Kids are supposed to be checked ev- ery two years, but not everybody does that. A lot of parents wait for their child to have a symptom," Mestito-Dao said. "We take opportunities like the Teddy Bears' Pic- nic to remind people that your eyes are important and that it's important to get tested. Manitoba Health covers eye exams every two years, and annu- ally if they wear glasses, up until the child turns 19." Eye exams are available starting with babies who are six months old, yet only about 35 per cent of the general population gets their eyes tested. "That's a super low number," she said, "considering that 75 per cent of diseases are preventable or treatable." It's a common misconception that eye exams aren't necessary for those with 20-20 vision. "Eyes are straining more now with the increas- ing use of electronics specifically with kids," Mes- tito-Dao said. "We're definitely seeing children who are symp- tomatic at a younger age than they used to be." Parents might be surprised at the ripple effect that vision issues can cause for their child. About 60 per cent of children who have reading difficulties also have un- detected vision problems or un- corrected glasses. "The classroom is 80 per cent visual, so they might learn at a slower rate than other kids. They might get frustrated with learning. They might get marked as the kids that don't pay attention, and they can develop a negative self-image because of that," Mestito-Dao said. "I've seen kids do a complete 180 in personality when you pre- scribe them glasses. They start to pay attention in class because they can actually see and now they can understand what the teacher's pointing out." Unfortunately, vision problems often aren't caught if the child isn't going for eye exams. "The parents don't necessarily know why they're behaving a certain way. Teachers don't see them squinting or pulling the paper close to their face. By the time they get those symptoms, they're usually older and they've missed years of wearing glasses," Mestito-Dao said. "You wouldn't believe how many people say they didn't know their kids should get their eyes checked. It's important because their eyes are still developing." Dr. Irene Mestito-Dao is a Doctor of Optometry at Henderson Vision Centre. SUPPLIED PHOTOS CHILDREN'S VISION IN FOCUS AT TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC BY JENNIFER MCFEE Kids at the Teddy Bears' Picnic can bring their bear for a visit with medical professionals at Dr. Goodbear Clinic, which includes seeing your Doctors of Optometry at the Bear Eye Care tent. Youngsters and parents alike will have the chance to learn the 'bear' necessities of eye care at this year's Teddy Bears' Picnic. Developmental vision problems are visual abnormalities that interfere with the ability to function in our high-tech, continuing education society. Our visual system can undergo tremendous stress these days as students and adults constantly use their near vision at school and at their jobs. The visual demand required to perform prolonged near-vision tasks can often be overwhelming. When the visual system has not developed efficiently or can't cope with the visual stress, visual disorders can occur. The Optometrists at GRAND Developmen- tal Vision Institute have taken a special inter- est in Developmental Vision Care and are all members of the College of Optometrist in Vision Development. By offering Develop- mental Vision Therapy, we provide solutions for many patients who suffer from develop- mental vision disorders. We take great pride in ensuring our therapists are among the most highly trained in Canada. We support ongoing training in the latest techniques and education about the most up-to-date science behind everything we do. Developmental vision disorders can negatively affect: • Eye Movement Control • Focusing Ability • Binocular Stability (Eye Teaming) • Depth Perception • Hand/Eye Coordination • Visual Processing Skills • Visual Memory Most people think of "20/20" as perfect or nor - mal vision, even though all it means is you are able to see a certain letter on the eye chart from a distance of 20 feet. This test tells us nothing about the many other visual skills that play a vital role in our ability to learn and read and function in our daily lives. If any of these skills are inadequate or lacking and when visual stress is present, people react in a variety of ways: • Experience eye strain or headaches in forehead or temple • Fatigue quickly when reading or performing near tasks • Lose place, skip words, can't concentrate when reading • Spend a long time doing assignments • Have difficulty judging distance •Struggle academically 303-2200 McPhillips Street, Winnipeg, MB R2V 3P4 | 204-633-5566 grandvisiontherapy.gmail.com | www.grandvisioninstitute.ca WHAT IS A DEVELOPMENTAL VISION DISORDER

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