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BEST STARTS FOR KIDS

Does My Child Have a Vision Issue?

Perscription Glasses

After certain ages, vision loss can't always be improved by the wearing of glasses. Some vision loss, that could have been treated early, can be permanent if left untreated.

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  • The earlier the problem is detected the likelihood of a positive outcome is increased.

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  • If you suspect your child has a vision issue get it checked as soon as possible e.g. lazy or turned eye, falling over a lot, inability to coordinate hand eye movements, watering eyes when watching tv or reading a book, short attention span, etc

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  • Have a vision & hearing check prior to school

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  • There are indicators for lower levels of vision. Check out the blue text below:

What to Look For With Preschoolers

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  • eye's not appearing straight when you look at your child. One eye may appear to turn in or out. It can help to look at where the light reflects on both eyes to identify turns

  • watering eyes

  • eyes fatiguing after watching something for a short time

  • short attention span

  • poor gross motor ability e.g. falling over, inability to catch a ball

  • poor fine motor control

  • complaining of headaches

  • covering one eye if they need to concentrate

  • squinting

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Mother Playing with Baby
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surprised baby

If you would like to ensure your child's success at school, getting their sight, and hearing, checked prior to school is important.

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This can usually be organized through your local baby health centre. Check out what facilities occur in your area.

 

For example in N.S.W. Australia there is a StEPS Programme which tests four year olds vision prior to school. Click on the link below to contact them. https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/kidsfamilies/MCFhealth/Pages/StEPS.aspx#Contact

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I identified a slight turn in our eldest son's eye prior to six months of age. And he began treatment to make his lazy eye work while he was very young. The outcome was excellent.

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Although I did have to persevere. An initial G.P. (locum) didn't see the problem I did. A month later I went back, and my usual G.P. saw exactly what I was concerned about, and made the requested referral.

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I found out first hand "If you feel something may be wrong, get a second opinion."

Kid Playing with Bubble
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School Children

A Case Study:

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A child I knew was very bright. But he had real difficulty learning to read. I suggested he go to a behavioural optometrist rather than just an optometrist.

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It turned out, as he read a line of text, one eye's focus dropped to the line immediately below meaning he was trying to simultaneously read two lines of text. Which is impossible.

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This boy is now a successful engineer.

There are also things to look for in school age students:

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  • eyes watering or fatiguing quickly

  • difficulty reading: difficulty following a line of print, difficulty noticing the difference between b and d for example

  • complaining of headaches

  • difficulty focusing from white board (or chalkboard) to individual work, and back

  • lack of comprehension of what has been read

  • poor fine motor ability and difficulty producing print on a page

  • poor gross motor ability, especially catching

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For more ideas go to Step by Step.

Or click on one of the links below.

Best Parenting Advice.com is a high quality parenting website designed with child and family success in mind. It highlights what successful parents do differently to those who struggle. Best Parenting advice.com provides free online resources for busy parents who want the best practical advice on: how to give kids a best start in life, better tips for parenting toddlers, effective child rearing strategies, behaviour management tips, successful goal setting and organizational strategies for successful families, easy family dinner recipes, self-care tips for time-poor parents and free kids learning games. The aim of Best Parenting Advice.com is to provide quality practical parenting tips and advice to best help children and families succeed, using the convenience of a website.

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This website provides examples of what worked for me over decades and you are welcome to use these ideas as you see fit but you do so at your own risk. Best Parenting Advice.com does not provide any guarantee that this information will work in every circumstance with every family or with every child. It is your responsibility as a user of this website to ensure that you adhere to any recommended safety suggestions either implicit or explicit on this site and supervise your children while playing any games suggested. Similarly users of this website are advised to follow any recommendations for seeking professional advice as all information on this site is generic. Best Parenting Advice.com is an independent website and is not affiliated with any other groups, clubs, religious organizations or educational systems.

 

Best parenting takes time. The best parenting advice ever is simple: Do your best, don't give up and love your children, no matter what.

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