In addition to the sneakers, paper products, and clothes, another item on the back-to-school list should be a visit to the optometrist, according to the American Optometric Association.

The AOA recommends children receive at least one comprehensive eye exam between the ages of 3 and 5 followed by annual comprehensive eye exams starting before first grade, and it’s a good idea to inform parents of this recommendation.

“A comprehensive vision exam really sets children up to maximize learning,” says Rachel A. Coulter, OD, MS, FAAO, FCOVD, director of neuro-optometry/vision in neurodevelopmental disorders services and professor at Nova Southeastern University, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Research indicates that vision issues can undercut school performance,^1,2 she elaborates.

Parents and doctors alike rely on these early vision exams to establish a baseline and help children perform their best in school, whether it is reading from the board, following a lesson on a tablet, or playing with friends. “Children’s eyes go through a lot of rapid changes as they grow,” and the young ones can’t necessarily tell when they have vision problems, says AOA President Ron Benner, OD. This is an important point to raise with parents.

Here’s what to convey to parents, to let them know about the importance of a back-to-school eye exam.

Better identification of eye conditions

While the basic vision screening that most schools and pediatricians offer assesses distance vision, a comprehensive vision exam with an optometrist will also diagnose hyperopia, amblyopia, strabismus, and convergence insufficiency, says Dr. Coulter.

Detection of more than 270 systematic medical problems, such as diabetes, tumors, autoimmune, and cancers, is another benefit of the comprehensive exam to share with parents, says Dr. Benner.

Parents should also know that a comprehensive eye health and vision exam can help identify the causes for a child’s behavior, which may be erroneously attributed to other factors.

To illustrate this, Dr. Benner shares the story of a fourth-grade student who had been on an individualized education plan and multiple other resources to satisfy what was believed to be a learning disability. When presenting to Dr. Benner as a patient, he found that the child had 8 units of farsightedness and 5 units of astigmatism. “The child had a kind of functional vision, but not the type of vision that allows him to succeed in school,” Dr. Benner says. The result was a child who was three to four years behind in his reading ability.

Dr. Coulter also recommends vision exams to parents of students with neurodivergent development, as such children are at increased risk for vision problems.

A chance to discuss eye health

Eye exams are also an opportunity to discuss eye health with parents, such as dry eye disease and screen time’s effect on it. Dr. Coulter says she has seen more DED in younger children with the explosion of learning and other activities on iPads and screens.

“Understanding how lifestyle affects function and vision is really the message for parents,” Dr. Coulter says, citing calls to action in research for parents to monitor screen use and encourage kids to play outside more often.

Also, in terms of lifestyle, a visit to the optometrist can provide tools to help prevent ocular injuries from sports-related incidents, as well as educate on visual problems associated with concussion, Drs. Benner and Coulter say. “Parents are often unaware of the association between sports participation and eye injury,” Dr. Coulter says. She recommends optometrists share advice from the AOA, including advising the use of eye protection and having students take a comprehensive eye exam before participating in a new sport.³

Spreading the word

There are a few ways to effectively get word of these services out to parents, even before they come in the office. Dr. Coulter says she has seen alumni who have gone into private practice use social media successfully to promote the benefits of back-to-school eye exams. She also recommends partnering with other therapists (such as occupational and speech), pediatricians, the public school system, parent-teacher associations, home schooling organizations and the like to increase the number of school-aged children in the chair this season.

Such partnerships can be mutually beneficial, says Dr. Coulter. “I often make referrals to other professionals and provide reports of my findings and recommendations. Some of these professionals now standardly recommend a comprehensive eye exam as part of the work-up process. Some have even sent their own children in for an eye exam after seeing results for their clients.” OM

References

1. Neitzel AJ, Wolf B, Guo X, et al. Effect of a Randomized Interventional School-Based Vision Program on Academic Performance of Students in Grades 3 to 7: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Ophthamol. 2021;139(10):1104-1114.
2. Alvarez-Peregrina C, Sanchez-Tena MA, Andreu-Vazquez C, Villa-Collar C. Visual Health and Academic Performance in School-Aged Children. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(7):2346.
3. Doctors of optometry can help prevent eye-related injuries from sports and recreation. American Optometric Association. bit.ly/AOAsportseyesafety . Published Jan. 12, 2018. Accessed June 12, 2023.