Children’s Vision

Children’s vision is a crucial part of their overall development, and it’s more than just about seeing clearly. At Eyecare Kids, we understand that vision problems can impact not just how well a child sees but how they learn, play, and interact with the world around them.

Common Refractive Errors We Check For

Our comprehensive eye tests check for common refractive errors that could be impacting your child’s vision. These errors can cause blurry vision and affect how well they see both near and far objects. We’ll make sure we catch any issues early so we can manage them effectively.

Examples include:

Behavioural Optometry

Behavioural Optometry focuses on how a child’s eyes work together to perform essential tasks like reading, writing, and participating in sports. Unlike traditional optometry, which primarily assesses visual clarity, Behavioural Optometry goes further to evaluate the efficiency of the visual skills that support day-to-day activities.

This approach takes a holistic view of vision care. Even if your child has 20/20 vision, they may still experience difficulties in how their visual system functions. The goal of Behavioural Optometry is to optimise how your child’s vision works, ensuring it is as comfortable and efficient as possible for all daily activities.

Visual Skills

Visual skills refer to how well a child can focus, team and track with their eyes. These skills are essential for learning, reading and even sports! 

Unfortunately, many deficits in visual skills go undetected in standard eye screenings. In fact, studies show that 73% of vision-related issues are missed in school screenings.

At Eyecare Kids, we offer comprehensive testing to check for key visual skills that could be affecting your child’s ability to perform.

Eye Focusing (Accommodation)

A child with poor eye focusing might experience eye strain or fatigue quickly, making it hard for them to complete tasks. When reading for long periods, text may become blurry, causing frustration and difficulty keeping up.

A gif (or moving image) showing how a child with eye focusing problems may see text
A gif (or moving image) showing how a child with convergence problems may see text

Eye Teaming (Convergence)

Eye teaming is the ability for both eyes to work together to focus on an object. If your child has difficulty with this, they may struggle to keep their eyes aligned, which can make reading and focusing on objects difficult. When this happens, your child might see text in a way that’s blurry or doubled.

Eye Tracking (Ocular Motor)

Poor eye tracking can cause a child to lose their place when reading, skip words or lines, or even jumble letters. This can make learning harder, especially if they have trouble following along with fast-moving information, like when reading a page of text or watching something on the board.

A gif (or moving image) showing how a child with eye tracking problems may see text
Checklist to Observable Clues to Classroom Vision Problems

Checklist to Observable Clues to Classroom Vision Problems

If you’re concerned your child may be experiencing vision problems that are affecting their learning, we’ve created a free checklist to help you spot potential clues. This list can be a helpful tool for parents and teachers to identify signs of hidden vision difficulties that might be going unnoticed.

What You Can Do

  • Monitor your child for signs of eye strain, difficulty reading, or trouble focusing.
  • Encourage regular breaks during close-up tasks to reduce eye fatigue.
  • Be proactive in noticing if your child struggles with reading or copying from the board, and talk to their teacher for additional support.
  • Ensure your child gets regular eye exams to detect any vision issues early.
  • Book a comprehensive eye exam with a behavioural optometrist to assess your child’s visual skills.

How Can We Help?

At Eyecare Kids, we don’t just focus on correcting vision – we also work to improve how your child’s eyes perform in everyday life.

  • Vision Beyond the EyeballOur behavioural optometrists look at more than just your child’s eyesight. We assess their eye coordination, focusing abilities, tracking skills, and visual processing. This allows us to understand how well their eyes are working together, which can make a big difference in how they experience their world.
  • Visual Processing Assessment – We evaluate how your child’s eyes and brain process visual information, which helps us understand how these skills affect their behaviour and performance in school and other activities.
  • Ensure Your Child Keeps Up with Visual Demands – School, sports, and daily activities all place visual demands on a child’s eyes. We take a comprehensive approach to ensure your child has the visual strength and stamina to keep up with these demands, no matter how busy their day gets.
  • Improve All Aspects of Visual Performance – Our behavioural optometrists aim to improve every aspect of your child’s visual performance. This includes treating any eyesight difficulties and providing preventive care to ensure their eyes stay healthy and strong. We also work on enhancing their visual skills to support their learning and development.

FAQs about Children’s Vision from Parents and Guardians

Talk to their teacher to see if they’ve noticed any issues. Then, book a comprehensive eye exam with one of our behavioural optometrists to check for underlying vision problems like focusing or tracking difficulties.

Not necessarily. 20/20 vision only checks distance vision. Our behavioural optometrists assess how your child’s eyes work together for tasks like reading and tracking, which can uncover hidden issues.

We recommend an exam before starting school, then every two years unless you notice any vision struggles. If something changes, book an exam right away.

Yes, especially for reading, homework, or board work. Spectacles help prevent eye strain and support their learning.

Yes! We assess how your child’s eyes focus, track, and work together to improve their overall visual performance in school and everyday activities.

Your Child’s Sight is Precious

Good vision is vital for your child’s development, both academically and in their everyday life. Don’t wait for the signs to show up – let our behavioural optometrists help you give your child the best chance at clear, efficient vision.