Have your child’s eyes examined before they start going to school

It is important for children to have a complete eye examination before starting school. The optometrist needs to determine if a child’s vision system is adequately prepared to handle reading, writing and other close work. The demands of schoolwork can put too much stress on a child’s visual system, causing problems even if none existed before. Whereas toddlers use their eyes mostly for looking at distance, school requires children’s eyes to focus on very close work for hours every day, this can cause eye problems to arise. Children don’t often realize that their eyes are under too much strain and they rarely report vision problems. Because their vision is “normal” to them, they think everyone sees the way they do.

School vision screenings provide a valuable service, but children can pass a school eye chart test and still have undetected vision problem, which are affecting their schoolwork. The eye chart just checks a child’s sharpness of vision, but reading requires many other visual skills. The eye chart test can’t tell if a child’s eye are healthy, or if he can track a line of print for long periods of time. School vision screenings are no substitute for a complete eye examination by your family optometrist.

FUN EYE FACTS FOR KIDS

How many times do your eyes blink?
The average person blinks about 1-2 times a minute. That’s an amazing 10,080 blinks in a kid day (14 waking hours) and about 3.7 million blinks per year. And each of these blinks of the eye lasts about one tenth of a second.

How far can an eagle see?
An eagle can spot a rabbit from about one mile or 1,760 yards away, however, the average person needs to be closer about 550 yards away to see the rabbit.

How big is the human eyeball?
The adult eyeball measures about 1 inch (2.5cm) in diameter. Of its total surface area only one sixth is exposed — the front portion. It is composed of more than two million working parts and is the most complex organ you possess except for your brain.

If bats are blinds, how do they “see” where they are flying?
It is a common misconception that bats are blind. Almost all bats can see, and their scents of sight and smell is well developed but these bats don’t use their eyes to “see” where they’re flying. They, instead use sound waves. They make high pitched sounds and then listen for the echoes caused when the sound bounce off an object. (PR