Page 154 - South Mississippi Living - August, 2018

HEALTHY LIVING seeing the future
YOUNG EYES
Have children’s vision checked as school year starts
story by Susan Ruddiman photo courtesy of
Eye Associates of the South
Eye health in children needs to be considered as parents are going through the back- to-school routine. August
is Children’s Eye Health
and Safety Month, and that serves as a reminder that good vision
and healthy eyes make a difference in a child’s learning abilities. Experts say that 80 percent of learning occurs through the eyes.
“I tell parents that if the child is healthy, there is no family history of eye issues, and a pediatrician checks regularly, then they can wait until
the child is 4 or 5 before having the first eye exam. They can usually
read a chart by then,” said Debra Laprad, M.D., an ophthalmologist who practices at Eye Associates of the South.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force recommends vision screening for
5. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that one out of seven preschoolers receives an eye exam, and fewer than one out of four receives some type of vision screening.
Pediatricians or parents usually catch issues of a small child having a lazy eye or being crossed-eyed, and those conditions need to be addressed before the child starts kindergarten. Eye Associates of the South, for example, has a pediatrician ophthalmologist who comes to the practice once a week, and specializes in corrective eye surgery on children, Laprad said.
“In a short time span, that can lead to issues if not corrected when the child is young. The sooner they are treated, the better,” said Rainna Bahadur, M.D., an ophthalmologist practicing with Eye Associates of the South.
Among the symptoms of vision
Debra Laprad, M.D. and Rainna Bahadur, M.D. with Eye Associates of the South
disinterest in the subject matter, trouble concentrating and a short attention span which leads to other problems, Bahadur said. “You want to get a vision issue caught as early as possible because it can affect a child’s self-esteem.”
Also, children who already wear glasses need to be checked annually for any changes in eyesight, Laprad added.
“Every parent wants what’s best for their kids, and vision is part of that,”
all children between the ages of 3 and problems in a child at school are Bahadur said.
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