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Children's vision is often overlooked. It is harder for children to describe their vision in a way that adults understand. Unless... You know what you are listening for.

As a child’s eyes develop, it is not uncommon for a number of problems to occur. Beyond blurred vision due to refractive error including nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia), children can develop a number of other visual and perceptual problems that are often not detected by a simple vision exam.

Local Eye Care for Children near you in West Hartford, Connecticut

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Difficulty in School or with Homework?

Local Vision-Related Learning Problems near you in West Hartford, Connecticut

If your child is having difficulty in school or with homework. It may be their eyes...

According to experts, 80% of learning is visual, which means that if your child is having difficulty seeing clearly, his or her learning can be affected. To ensure that your children have the visual resources they need to grow and develop normally, their eyes and vision should be checked by an eye doctor at certain stages of their development. Dr. Kemp will begin examining your child from age the age of five.

Why is an eye exam so essential for children before they start school?

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Children's Eye Exam & Eye Care
Children's Vision Problems

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Children's Eye Exam & Eye Care

Undetected or uncorrected vision problems can cause children and teens to suffer academically, socially, athletically and personally. If your child is having trouble in school or afterschool activities there could be an underlying vision problem.

You should tell the doctor any relevant personal history of your children such as premature birth, developmental delays, family history of eye problems, eye injuries or medications the child is taking. This would also be the time to address any concerns or issues your child has that might indicate a vision problem.

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Children's Vision Problems

If the eye doctor does determine that your child has a vision problem, they may discuss a number of therapeutic options such as eyeglasses or contact lenses, an eye patch, vision therapy or Ortho-k, depending on the condition and the doctor’s specialty.

Since some conditions are much easier to treat when they are caught early while the eyes are still developing, it is important to diagnose any eye and vision issues as early as possible.

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From What Age Does Kemp Eye Care Do Eye Exams?

Eye Exams in Preschool Children: 5 Years Up

The toddler and preschool age is a period where children experience drastic growth in intellectual and motor skills. During this time they will develop the fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and perceptual abilities that will prepare them to read and write, play sports and participate in creative activities such as drawing, sculpting or building. This is all dependent upon good vision and visual processes.

This is the age when parents should be on the lookout for signs of lazy eye (amblyopia) - when one eye doesn’t see clearly, or crossed eyes (strabismus) - when one or both eyes turns inward or outward. The earlier these conditions are treated, the higher the success rate.

Parents should also be aware of any developmental delays having to do with object, number or letter recognition, color recognition or coordination, as the root of such problems can often be visual. If you notice your child squinting, rubbing his eyes frequently, sitting very close to the tv or reading material, or generally avoiding activities such as puzzles or coloring, it is worth a trip to the eye doctor.

Eye Exams in School-Aged Children: 6 - 18 Years Old

Proper learning, motor development, reading, and many other skills are dependent upon not only good vision, but also the ability of your eyes to work together.

Children that have problems with focusing, reading, teaming their eyes or hand-eye coordination will often experience frustration, and may exhibit behavioral problems as well. Often they don’t know that the vision they are experiencing is abnormal, so they aren’t able to express that they need help.

Symptoms of Vision-Related Learning Problems

In addition to the symptoms written above, signs of vision problems in older children include:

Short attention span
Headaches
Frequent blinking
Avoiding reading
Tilting the head to one side
Losing their place often while reading
Double vision
Poor reading comprehension
The Pediatric Eye Exam

In addition to basic visual acuity (distance and near vision) an eye exam may assess the following visual skills that are required for learning and mobility:

Binocular vision: how the eyes work together as a team

Focusing
Peripheral Vision
Color Vision
Hand-eye Coordination
Tracking

Following the guidelines for children’s eye exams and staying alert to any signs of vision problems can help your child to reach his or her potential.

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Computer Vision Syndrome

With the increasing use of digital devices it is important to teach your children how to protect their eyes while they are still young.

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Myopia Control

Myopia is a common vision problem affecting children who can see well up close, but have problems seeing in the distance.

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Vision Therapy For Children

Vision Therapy is a program of progressive eye exercises, designed to treat conditions like strabismus and amblyopia.

Meet Our Pediatric Eye Doctor

Neil W. Kemp O.D.

Dr. Neil Kemp has been serving patients in the greater Hartford area for over 25 years. He is licensed in Connecticut at its highest level, Advanced Optometric Care. Dr. Kemp specializes in comprehensive eye health exams and the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease. He also has extensive contact lens...

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Call 860-200-7075