Children's Vision
Vision for life. Vision for learning. Vision for confidence, fun, play, sport….vision for living their best life!
See the difference. Feel the difference.
Vision affects so many aspects of our lives, especially for children in their formative years. Social interactions, confidence, sport, learning, mood and general well-being… seeing clearly impacts so much.
Children’s eye care is a specialised field, and at Rototuna Optometrists it is ours. One of the most rewarding aspects of our profession is witnessing how vision correction positively impacts children. We love hearing how their learning has improved, and how relaxed and confident they feel.
Optimise your child’s vision now and safeguard their eye health in the future. Book an in-depth eye exam with our highly experienced optometrists.
One in five children has a vision problem.
Is your child one of them?
Many parents are surprised to learn that their child needs vision correction. Yet, 1 in 5 do. Vision problems can manifest in subtle ways. Here are some ways you can identify them. Can you answer yes to any of these questions?
Does your child:
- Lose their place while reading or use fingers to maintain their place?
- Avoid close work particularly reading?
- Hold reading materials closer than normal?
- Tend to rub their eyes or have headaches?
- One eye drifts or aims in a different direction than the other?
- Close or cover one eye or squint?
- Omit or confuse small words when reading?
- Seems to have a short attention span for their age?
- Have poor hand-eye coordination for activities like playing with a ball?
- Consistently perform below potential?
5, 10, and 13 are the recommended ages for eye examinations for children. But if you notice any of these signs, you should book an eye exam with us straight away.
There is no substitute for a thorough eye examination. Rototuna Optometrists test for short and long-sightedness, astigmatism, tracking and focusing skills.
Common Vision Conditions in Children
(cross-eyed)
(short-sightedness)
Lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, is a common vision problem in children where one eye loses its ability to see details.
This happens when the nerve pathway from one eye to the brain is not getting appropriate vision stimulation at a young age. The brain may learn to ignore the image from the weaker eye, causing symptoms like eyes that turn in or out, poor depth perception, and decreased vision in one eye.
Luckily, lazy eyes can be treated with glasses and sometimes a patch over the stronger eye, helping the weaker eye become stronger. To diagnose a lazy eye, a full eye examination is needed.
(cross-eyed)
Strabismus, also known as “cross-eyed,” is a condition where the eyes do not align properly, causing each eye to look in a different direction.
This can lead to symptoms like double vision, loss of depth perception, and vision problems including amblyopia. While wearing glasses can often correct strabismus, there are cases where surgery may be necessary to align the eyes properly.
(short-sightedness)
Myopia, also known as nearsightedness or shortsightedness, is a common eye condition where distant objects appear blurry. Myopia usually starts in childhood and progresses until adulthood, potentially leading to serious eye conditions like myopic maculopathy, retinal detachment, cataracts, and glaucoma.
However, by managing myopia in its early stages, we can slow its progression and reduce the risk of developing severe myopia and associated eye conditions.
At Rototuna Optometrists, we have a dedicated clinic focused on myopia control and treatment, ensuring the best care for our patients.
How we treat myopia in children
When it comes to treating myopia in children, there are several options available. These include glasses, hard contact lenses, and soft lenses for myopia control.
In cases where myopia progresses faster than normal, additional therapies like drops can be added to slow down the progression.
Your optometrist can provide more information and explain how special myopia control glasses with specific optics can help slow progression.
