Annual Eye Exams Help Set Students Up For Success

Why is eye health so important in learning and child development?

“The American Optometric Association believes that eye health and vision disorders can greatly affect a child’s school success,” Dr. Benner, AOA President, said on “Good Morning Mid-Michigan.” “We know that about 80% of learning happens through the visual system, and unfortunately children aren’t always able to tell you if there’s a problem. Those visual defects can lead to academic performance decreases, lowered self-esteem, decreased athletic engagement and even poor social interaction. So, we recommend parents get their child into their local doctor of optometry for an in-person, comprehensive exam to help their child be successful in the classroom.”

Why are annual, in-person eye exams essential for students returning to school?

“We strongly encourage annual eye exams for children,” Dr. Benner said during an interview on “Your California Life.” “You know, unfortunately the school screenings are sometimes misleading. They only test what a child can see one eye at a time at 20 feet away, and that’s only about 4% of what a comprehensive eye exam tests. During that testing with your eye doctor, we will test for focusing, flexibility, tracking, pointing, binocularity as well as ocular health. Your local optometrist can diagnose 270 different diseases during that eye exam. So, getting your child in for that annual, comprehensive exam is vitally important to the child’s development.”