Back-to-School Eye Exams
An annual eye exam should be part of back-to-school preparation. Undiagnosed vision problems are common in children and can affect reading, writing, and classroom performance, sometimes in ways that look like learning or attention difficulties.
School Vision Screenings Have Limits
Most school screenings only check distance visual acuity, whether a child can read letters from across a room. They typically don’t catch:
- Focusing problems for near work (reading, writing)
- Eye tracking and coordination issues
- Depth perception problems
- Astigmatism or amblyopia (lazy eye)
- Eye strain from screen use
A comprehensive eye exam evaluates all of these, not just distance vision.
Signs a Child May Have a Vision Problem
- Sitting close to the TV or holding devices close to their face
- Frequent headaches or eye rubbing
- Losing their place while reading, or avoiding reading
- Squinting or tilting their head to see the board
- Declining grades or difficulty concentrating
Children often don’t report vision problems because they don’t know their vision is abnormal.
Scheduling
Scheduling an exam before school starts allows time to fill a new prescription or complete follow-up evaluation before the semester begins, rather than after academic issues have already come up.
Call our office to schedule a comprehensive eye exam.
Mountain View Office
Menlo Park Office