Eye See Eye Learn

Times Contributor 

 

The Alberta Association of Optometrists (AAO) have partnered with the Alberta government through Alberta Health Care to make sure kindergarten aged children have good eye health.

In Alberta, eye exams for all children up to the age of 18 are covered free for eye exams, but the AAO Eye See Eye Learn program is also providing a free pair of glasses to all kindergarten children that need them. The frames are of current styles and quality and carry a one year warranty.

“Many people don’t know about the program and we want them to be aware of it,” said Dr. Michelle Minvielle of the Strathmore Vision Clinic.

“Early detection of any visual problems will enhance their learning, as 80 per cent of their learning is through vision,” said Dr. Garth Anderson of the Strathmore Vision Clinic. “If there are any struggles or deficiencies in how their eyes see, coordinate or focus, it will relate back to their learning difficulties. If you catch it early it won’t lead to later problems.”

Minvielle said parents can watch out for some indications the children are experiencing trouble seeing.

“If they struggle with reading at their grade level, avoid near activities, lose their place reading,  or become distracted quickly, these may be due to vision difficulties,” said Minvielle.

The AAO website indicates that 25 per cent of students have vision problems and 60 per cent of children diagnosed with learning problems have undetected vision problems.

Gone are the days when the school nurse asked if you could read the Big E on the far wall.

The eye exams offered through the program are comprehensive, similar to the exams given for all patients. 

Some parents don’t think about getting children’s eyes checked if a problem isn’t evident, but both Anderson and Minvielle said it is a good idea for all children to have an assessment to rule out any potential problems. Anderson said that often the child doesn’t know what clear vision should be so they can’t mention it to their parents. 

“It is nice to have the parents of children that age in the examination room. Often it becomes quite evident if there are difficulties presenting themselves, then we can illustrate and demonstrate the solutions and improvements,” said Anderson.

 “There are a lot of misconceptions out there; like they think glasses make their eyes lazy, or if they get glasses too young they become dependent on them. We try to quash those misconceptions in the exam room. Eyes need clear images to develop properly, so they can avoid things like a lazy eye with early intervention. The earlier we catch these problems the better the outcomes will be,” said Minvielle.

Children’s eyes can be examined as early as six months, and keep growing until about eight-years-old. For that reason, doctors recommend yearly exams.

 “We can rule out a lot of big problems. We recommend the first test is between six and 12 months. We can do an objective test at that age. We can check for eye turns, health conditions, cataracts, tumours … quite a lot of things that start to develop at that age,” said Minvielle. 

Anderson said that the clinic also deals with eye injuries and infections. All patients are covered for emergency exams. Anyone can drop into the clinic immediately, for help with these types of problems. The Strathmore Vision Clinic has some of the latest diagnostic equipment and technology available. 

The clinic has been in the community for over 23 years and Anderson said they try to give good continuity of care. So, patients seen for initial assessments through the Eye See Eye Learn program can have their records retained there, so they can be used for comparison at later dates if necessary. Anderson said he is thankful for all the qualified staff that has served in the clinic over the year. 

“I think to me, it makes me energized and proud that we can continue to provide high quality care to Strathmore and surrounding towns,” said Anderson.

For more information on the Eye See Eye Learn program call the Strathmore Vision Clinic, or visit their website (www.optometrists.ab.ca ).