You are here

Why Vision-Screenings are Not Enough

It’s easy to think that when your workplace or children’s school offers a vision screening, you no longer need to see your eye doctor for routine exams. But what if a vision screening is not enough?

School vision screenings usually test children’s eye sight for whether they can see objects at a distance or whether they have color blindness. However, eye conditions that impact learning are often missed such as lazy eye, a condition where vision is weaker in one eye. Children who have untreated eye problems may have difficulty reading or with school sports.

Conversely, a comprehensive eye exam at an eye doctor will include tests for near vision, eye coordination, eye movement, and ability for eyes to focus on an object. Early childhood exams are about function as much as they are about actual eye sight. Once a vision problem is diagnosed at the eye doctor, you can receive guidance on who else should know about the difficulty ranging from specialists to your child’s school teacher.

What about the parents?

Certain professions require good eyesight to perform tasks safely and many are regulated to do so. For instance, pilots, doctors, and machinist positions have specific requirements in terms of vision.For instance, an engineer needs to see different details than a pilot would.

Since occupational screenings can vary drastically from employer-to-employer and occupation-to-occupation, it’s important to compare tests you’re given to what is covered at a typical adult comprehensive exam. For instance, your eye doctor will generally perform a glaucoma test during your comprehensive exam. Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve that communicates between the brain and eyes. While you won’t see many initial symptoms, the disease can get eventually lead to blindness. Thus, it’s an important part of your eye doctor’s exams.

Whether you or your children are getting vision screenings, make sure your family is visiting an eye care professional yearly to keep your eyes as healthy as possible.