Vision Source Cautions Parents of School-aged Children

July 26, 2011 - PRLog -- LAS VEGAS – This fall, two out of every three children will enter school without having had an eye examination – a statistic that greatly contributes to an increase in the number of children with learning difficulties.  In fact, 25 percent of school-aged children have vision problems. Given that vision accounts for 80 percent of how children 12 years old and younger learn , proper eye care, including eye examinations, is imperative.

While all schools in the Clark County School District administer vision screenings using the Snellen chart, a test developed in 1862 that measures visual acuity, Dr. Victoria Mar, an optometrist at Vision Source Rhodes Ranch explains why that’s not sufficient. “A study conducted by the National Institutes of Health shows that the Snellen chart detects only 40 to 65 percent of vision problems, missing serious eye conditions such as lazy eye (amblyopia), misalignment of eyes (strabismus), blurry vision (astigmatism), nearsightedness and farsightedness.”

Other studies show that when problems are detected in school, more than 50 percent of cases have no follow-up.  “When a child is tested by a trusted optometrist, parents can be assured that any problems that are detected will be addressed,” says Dr. Mar. “When caught early, this diminishes the chance that these issues will impair the child’s ability to learn.”

Common indicators of problems related to vision include: sitting too close to the TV, squinting, tilting of the head, eye rubbing, sensitivity to light, complaining of headaches or tired eyes and poor performance in school.

Back-to-school time also means more cases of bacterial conjunctivitis, the condition that is better known as pink eye. “In the United States, it is estimated that 28 percent of bacterial conjunctivitis cases occur in the 3-9 year age range, 13 percent occur in the 10-19 year range and the remaining 36 percent of cases are adults,” says Dr. Mar.

Mar encourages children and parents to disinfect communal items that are frequently touched, use separate towels and avoid hand contact with an infected person to avoid passing pink eye. “Children are frequently interacting and exchanging items at school. If a person does become infected, there are antibiotics that can be prescribed,” she said.

In order to give children the proper tools to succeed this school year, Vision Source optometrists urge parents to schedule eye examinations. Annual visits to an optometrist detect, prevent and treat vision problems in persons of all ages.


About Vision Source Las Vegas
Vision Source Las Vegas is a network of optometrists that provides patients with personal care and service while offering advanced medical technology and innovative products to promote eye health. Vision Source doctors are committed to continuing education, and offering patients the most innovative procedures to detect and correct eye conditions. As a group, Vision Source is dedicated to educating the community through special events and programs about eye health issues and the importance of annual eye exams. Founded in 1991, the Vision Source network includes 2,000 offices and over, 4000 doctors in all 50 states and in Canada. Vision Source Las Vegas started in 2003, and now includes 18 optometrists at 13 locations in the Las Vegas area. For more information, call 1-800-EYES-911 or visit www.visionsourcevegas.com.

# # #

Vision Source Las Vegas is a network of board-certified optometrists that provides patients with personal care and service while offering advanced medical technology and innovative products to promote eye health. http://www.visionsourcevegas.com.