Children's Vision Month

02 - Children's Vision Month CNIBisaregisteredcharity,passionately providingcommunity-basedsupport, knowledgeandanationalvoicetoensure Canadianswhoareblindorpartially sightedhavetheconfidence,skillsand opportunitiestofullyparticipateinlife. Todothat,ourdedicatedspecialists Todothat,ourdedicatedspecialists workwithpeopleofallagesintheirown homes,communitiesorlocalCNIBoffices –providingthepersonalizedrehabilitation supporttheyneedtoseebeyondvision loss,buildtheirindependenceandleadthe livestheywant. Tomakeadonationorlearnmore,visit cnib.caorcallthetoll-free CNIBHelplineat1-800-563-2642. sometimes all they need is a pair of glasses," she says. "Our goal would be to have all of the school divisions involved so that all children get that equal opportunity." With a focus on accessibility, Manitoba Health covers the cost of eye exams for children up to and including age 18. "We want to make sure kids are perfectly healthy to start their school year off so that they don't have a challenge, at least with their vision," Bruce says. "A child might not tell you that their vision is blurry because they don't know any different. It's best to come in and check it out to be on the safe side. The sooner you take care of them, then you can make a difference in their vision and create a real success story." continued from page 1 W hen it comes to children's eyes, what you see is definitely not always what you get, especially when it comes to conditions such as amblyopia (lazy eye) or strabismus — potentially debilitating conditions that can silently affect young children's ability to see properly. Those conditions are more common than you might think, said doctor of optometry Dr. Natasha Sookermany. "Approximately three per cent of children have some form of amblyopia, and about two to four per cent of pre-school-aged children have strabismus, or turned eye," she said. "Any form of either of those conditions can hinder a child's ability to learn in the classroom." And those conditions aren't easily detectable, even to the most vigilant of parents. "With amblyopia, a child's eyes will look normal," said Sookermany. "And if an eye is lazy, a young child won't know. Even if they feel as if something might be wrong, they don't have the ability to let parents know because they're so young and are just learning how to communicate. At the same time, parents won't pick up any difficulties because the naked eye just can't tell." On the other hand, strabismus is quite obvious. "It's easy to see if one eye is turned in, or turned out, so if you see one of your child's eyes doing this, it's not good. You can't wait until something is noticed in order to bring your child in to an optometrist for an eye exam." Rather, it's critical that eye exams start early — very early, in fact. "Your child's first visit to the optometrist should happen when they're six to nine months of age," she said. "Then, they should have one eye exam between the ages of two and five. Once they're in school, they should have an eye exam every year, or a minimum of every two years." Sookermany said there's no excuse not to schedule yearly eye exams for your child, whether the excuse might be lack of time, or lack of money, or insurance coverage. "An eye exam can take a little as 20 minutes, and will be one hour, tops, for a comprehensive eye exam. The other important thing to know is that Manitoba Health will cover the expense of yearly eye exams, so there's no valid reason not to bring your child in to have a optometrist test their eyes." She says there's no substitute for an experienced doctor of optometry's expertise and observational skills. "While it varies from child to child, kids can be reluctant to admit they have a vision problem. Sometimes, we'll have two siblings come in for eye exams. One will sit in the chair, look at the screen and yell out the letters and numbers with great enthusiasm. Then, the other will sit down in the chair and be sullen, and reluctant to take the tests. That could indicate a problem, which would then be verified by testing." The key to identifying vision problems in children is simple, said Sookermany. "You have to make the commitment to bring your child, or children in for regular, yearly eye exams," she stressed. "Younger kids just don't know they have a problem, and older kids might not want to admit it. That's why an objective exam by an optometrist is so important. We have the training and experience to perform the proper tests, and pick up behaviour that's not the norm, and have many different ways to test kids to identify different vision problems." These problems can negatively affect a child's ability to learn at school, no less. "A recent Toronto School Board study found that vision problems affect class participation, problem solving, use of information, co-operation with others and conflict resolution," explained Sookermany. "So vision problems can really hold a child back in their ability to learn, something that will impact their ability to cope and function with the demands of day-to-day life as they get older." That is why taking a preventive mindset is such a critical weapon in identifying vision issues. "Eye exams need to be early and testing needs to be done on a consistent (yearly) basis so we can pick up signs of a problem before it becomes full-blown," she said. "Regular eye exams enable us to catch vision problems early. When we can do that, we can treat the issue before it becomes a huge problem. Doing that will allow kids to function normally without visual roadblocks that can prevent them from learning and developing as well as they should." COMMIT TO REguLAR EyE ExAMS By Todd Lewys For the Free Press By Todd Lewys For the Free Press Dr. Sookermany examines a patient at Lotus Vision Care at Polo Park. Photo by Darcy Finley By the numbers: • Only 14% of Canadian children under the age of six have had an eye exam • 25% of school-aged children have vision problems • 35% of Manitoba school divisions participate in the Eye See... Eye Learn ® program • 80% of a child's learning is obtained through vision Optometrists recommend the following eye exam schedule for children: • First eye exam for babies between six and nine months • At least one eye exam between ages two and five years • One eye exam every year for school-age children

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