“What toppings would you like on your burger?” I asked.
“I don’t know, I can’t read the menu” was her casual response.
“Of course you can read the menu. Those are words you know; tomato, lettuce, ketchup.”
“Yes I know the words, but I can’t see the words. They are all blurry.”
We discovered our seven-year-old daughter’s vision problem at a Hero Burger restaurant. We had no idea her vision was blurry…no idea. Remarkably, one in four school-aged children has a vision problem. Our daughter was one of them.
Like many children, our daughter didn’t know she had a vision problem. She honestly believed that everyone saw things exactly as she did. Many vision problems in children are symptomless. Our daughter was a successful student and she had found ways to compensate for her vision in the classroom. Her desk was positioned at the front of the class and she always found a seat on the carpet closest to the teacher.
Considering that 80 percent of children’s learning and development is done visually, we knew our next stop was a visit to our doctor of optometry’s office.
Our appointment revealed what we had already predicted – our girl needed glasses. Fortunately, one in six school-aged children experiencing reading difficulties actually have correctable vision problems. The key is taking children to an optometrist’s office and having their vision assessed.
The day we picked up my daughter’s new glasses was amazing. Her first comment, after sliding her glasses onto her little nose was “Wow, everything is so shiny!” For who knows how long, the world had appeared dark and cloudy to our girl.
All the way home she slipped her glasses on and off. Comparing the signs she couldn’t read without the glasses and how clear they were with her glasses on. Since then my daughter’s vision has changed, but our doctor of optometry has been on top of the situation with advice and a new prescription.
As in our case, most childhood vision problems are symptomless, and without an eye exam by a doctor of optometry, there is no way to know how well your child sees. Book an appointment with a doctor of optometry today.
Plus until November 9th you can enter the Children’s Vision Month Contest where you have the chance to win the grand prize of $2500 towards an RESP or other educational savings plan, a HP Hybrid laptop, $500 gift card to a top sporting goods store and $300 in goods and services from a Doctor of Optometry (excluding eye exams). There are also weekly prizes to be given away. Good luck!
This post has been brought to you by Canadian doctors of optometry, but the images and opinions are my own. For more information, please visit http://www.doctorsofoptometry.ca.
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maryanne @ mama smiles says
I think it is super easy to miss things like this - especially something like eyesight where kids might assume everyone's world is fuzzy like theirs.
Cerys says
Having kids eyes tested is so important, from my own perspective I know that as a kid I thought everyone saw the world the way I did, kind of blurry and a bit fuzzy around the edges, turns out that I needed glasses but until my eyes were tested I just accepted that that was the way it was.
Terri says
Yes, it is hard to catch sometime and it's so true that kids just assume that everyone else sees the world like they do. So glad you were able to get your daughter in glasses so she can see the world much more clearly now.
Andrea B. says
Great post. So true. Vision is so tricky. My daughter has glasses, she was around 7 or so, too, when she got them. But she doesn't wear them all the time. I'm hoping she's as aware as possible about what she can and can't see! I have to trust her!