- Vision disorders can negatively impact a baby’s ability to bond with their parent/caregiver, explore the world by reaching and grasping, and impede the development of fine and gross motor skills;
- One in every 4 school-age children and 1 in every 17 preschool-aged children have some form of vision problem requiring treatment;
- 24% of teens with correctable vision have the wrong prescription;
- 80% of all blindness and vision impairment is either preventable or treatable.
As children and parents gear up for back-to-school, remember that healthy vision is critical to academic and social wellness. As a child grows, an untreated eye disease or condition becomes more difficult to correct. Moreover, issues can worsen and lead to other serious problems and affect reading ability, focus, classroom behavior, and social adjustment.
Vision problems that affect children include amblyopia, (“lazy eye”), strabismus, (“crossed eyes”), and the most common forms of refractive error: myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism.
Prevent Blindness offers resources for Children’s Eye Health Awareness Month
Prevent Blindness observes Children’s Eye Health and Safety Awareness Month each August to educate parents and caregivers on the steps that should be taken to ensure that their children are provided with the best opportunity to have a successful school year through healthy vision.
The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness offers comprehensive information on various topics, including common milestones for visual development, how to help your baby’s vision develop, warning signs of possible vision problems, and more. The earlier a vision disorder can be identified and treated, the stronger start to learning and development a child will have.
Here is a comprehensive list of resources for parents and caregivers:
- Healthy Vision as your Child Grows
- Getting Children Ready for School
- Signs of Eye Problems
- Vision Screening and Eye Exams
- Injury Prevention
- Sports Eye Safety
- Financial Assistance for Eye Care
Ophthalmology
at Boulder Medical Center
Ophthalmologist Ken Kreidl, MD
The ophthalmologists at Boulder Medical Center offer the highest quality eye and vision care. Our board-certified physicians are trained to perform the full spectrum of care, including:
- Eye Exams for all Ages
- Diagnosing and Treating Disease and Eye Conditions
- Surgical Intervention when Necessary
- Glaucoma
- Misalignment of the Eyes
- Strabismus
- Eye Infections: Pink Eye, Red Eye, Iritis, Uveitis