The eyes are the windows to the world, including for babies and children whose “windows” may not be functioning optimally and therefore compromising their experiences with the people, places and things around them. The younger they are, the less likely they are to understand that their vision is impaired, or be able to verbalise the challenges they are having. Once they are at school, their performance in the classroom and on the sports field can negatively be impacted by impaired vision.
“Even when they are able to talk, young children may not express that they are battling to see properly or see colours because they have no point of comparison, because their vision has always been a certain way for them. That is their normality,” said Zelda van Coller.
She helped Zadian Stoffels from Alberton to regain his vision and immediately it was his marks at school improved. He can now read at a better pace and has a better understanding of his environment.
She says babies should ideally have their eyes tested at six months of age, and again at three and six years of age. Thereafter, children should have their eyes tested every two years unless the child has vision impairments or wears glasses in which case eye tests should be done every six to 12 months. An eye test will help to identify problems such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism.
“Rest assured that these common refractive errors can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses,” said Van Coller.
There are a few signs that provide clues to parents that their children might be having trouble seeing properly. These include amongst others a tendency to sit too close to the TV or holding a book too close; frequent eye rubbing; sensitivity to light; complaining of headaches or sore, watery eyes; introverted behaviour and avoiding activities like reading, homework or even recreational activities. With advancements in technology, eye tests are not invasive and parents should not put off visiting an optometrist in an attempt to avoid stressing the child. The earlier a visual impairment is identified and treated, the better the prognosis for the little one.
Zelda van Coller Optometrists Dynamic Vision uses innovative, hand held autorefractors for babies, children and uncooperative patients. These devices measure the refraction of both eyes from a one metre distance within a second. Little babies sit comfortably on mom’s lap while their eyes are checked – no contact needed. This provides a baseline measurement as an initial exam and provides a valuable starting point for myopia, astigmatism and axis measurements.
“With the short attention span, and often shorter tolerance levels, of kids, it is necessary to get as much info about their eyes in the shortest time. These autorefractor devices give us an invaluable summary of a child’s visual system,” said Van Coller.
To help parents with children who wear spectacles, Zelda van Coller Optometrists also offers free upgrades on all kid’s lenses to Phoenix lenses which are designed with children in mind.
“They don’t break if they fall. This is good news for parents with busy toddlers who wear spectacles and youngsters who play sport,” says van Coller.
