Love at First Sight: Your Child’s Precious Peepers

“Your son will soon need glasses,” our optometrist declared, examining Ryder’s eyes.
“That does not surprise me,” I replied, nodding my head.

You see, I’ve worn glasses for the better part of 25 years. A quarter of a century! And I know that eyesight can be affected by both hereditary and lifestyle components; a parent with poor vision (strike one), extended computer, television and video game use (strike two). Strike three? Often, there’s no underlying reason; it’s often just chalked up to bad luck. Boo.

Can’t you just see this cute little face with Italian designer frames? The fashionista in me has already started planning a statement look for my little guy.
Of course, other than the superficial (Horn-rimmed Gucci! Vintage Prada!) and obvious reasons (he needs to see!), there’s a truly imperative reason for staying on top of my boys’ eye health: 80% of a child’s learning is vision based.

In fact, vision problems can affect learning and development, preventing children from reaching their full potential. Complicating matters is the fact that most vision problems have no easy-to-detect symptoms; many children accept their vision as normal because they don’t know any different. 

(Case in point: Ryder has never once complained about his ability to see. Therefore, as a parent, it’s important for me to seek the opinion of an expert.)

So, how well can your child see? Only an optometrist can know for sure. If you live in Ontario, OHIP provides coverage for an annual, full eye examination for children 0-19 years. In my experience, it’s important to find an optometrist who is great with kids – it makes the appointment so much easier for the little ones! And if your kids are heading into junior kindergarten, they can be a part of the Eye See…Eye Learn® program that provides OHIP covered eye exams and free glasses for JK children through an Ontario Association Optometrist member.

If you need help finding a local doctor of optometry, click here for a list of optometrists in your area. Don’t delay! Very soon, the homework will pile up, and you don’t want to take your child’s eye health, or ability to learn and develop, for granted.

Bonus: Your Doctor of Optometry can offer a convenient one-stop destination for all things eye health related, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, health information and eyewear products… like those horn-rimmed Gucci frames I have my eye on.

For parents, having a child is love at first sight. Take care of their precious peepers.

This post is sponsored by The Ontario Association of Optometrists. The opinions and language are my own.