Survey Shows Most Young Children Have Never Had an Eye Exam

Vision Service Plan has answered a question that many of us have long suspected with the release of  a study conducted by VSP Vision Care.  The nationwide study of almost 4000 Americans called the Consumer Eye Care and Eyewear Survey.  Revealed that 76% of the the children under the age of 5 had never had an eye exam.

“While most parents probably assume that vision screenings provided by pediatricians and school nurses are enough, those screenings are nowhere near as exhaustive as the comprehensive eye exams that optometrists and ophthalmologist provide,” said James Short, O.D., chair of VSP Vision Care’s board of directors.

Dr. Short elaborated further “Before children enter school, an eye doctor should examine the eyes for signs of astigmatism, nearsightedness, farsightendnes and also examine the structure of the eye for telltale signs of serious diseases”.

The study goes on to discuss the importance of providing proper sunglasses for children, tips on how to get children to wear sunglasses, prevention of computer vision syndrome in children and how to spot when your child may need an eye exam.

Read more about the VSP Vsion Care Study here