Most of my readers have had their vision tested using a Snellen Chart in an eye doctor’s office along with a host of other diagnostic tests to determine if the eyes are functioning properly.  The Snellen Chart is the one with the big “E”.  These charts are often used by pediatricians and school nurses as screenings to assess a child’s vision.  WHAT I LEARNED TODAY WAS MINDBOGGLING.  I always knew that pediatricians and school nurses missed vision problems in 30% of the children they screened…….But I was dead wrong.  New statistics recently published show that this number was close to 72%.  That’s amazing!  Perhaps that is one reason that children in the United States are falling behind other countries in science and math scores and more.  What is even more amazing is that the protocols these professionals are using to refer these kids to the eye doctor is more outdated that a dial-up telephone.

The 3D symposium opened my eyes to the future — 3D movies, 3D TV, 3D cell phones, 3D cameras, 3D computers, 3D learning, 3D surgery and so much more.  Doctors will be doing (and have already started to do so today) virtual surgery.  And they need good depth perception to do this.  This is not the distant future.  This is today.  Students who now learn about a DNA double helix from books or on the smart board will soon be able to sit in the middle of the double helix and view specific genes in 3D.  Learning will be different in tomorrow’s classroom.  STUDENTS WHO ONLY USE ONE EYE AT A TIME WILL BE LIMITTED IN THEIR LEARNING CAPABILITIES.  Both eyes are needed to send equal signals to the brain so the brain can perceive depth.

Nintendo is releasing a new 3D video toy for children within the next few months.  Only those children with efficient binocular vision will excel in these games…. And this will only be the beginning.  Parents need to know that when their children “fail” or do poorly at these tasks, there may be a vision or perceptual problem.  And they must know this and do something about it before the child is 7 years of age.  And even this may be too late.  The earlier vision problems are determined in children, the easier they are to correct for a lifetime of learning.

Do you want your child to have the opportunity to be a doctor, an astronaut, a pilot or some other profession that will require excellent depth perception (3D)?   Do you want your child to have the opportunity to enjoy 3D movies, TV and more like people with “normal” depth perception can?  Early detection of visual issues is imperative to a child’s development and future.   The simple enjoyment of these entertainment venues that we take for granted are compromised by poor depth deception.

Researchers are developing new 3D tools for eye doctors and educators to screen your children for earlier detection of underlying vision problems.  As an optometrist, it is my job to find vision solutions that will offer my patients an opportunity for a good user experience when it comes to the 3D technology of the future.

“The Clock is Ticking in 3D”.  Have your child’s eyes professionally examined.

For more information go to www.3dathome.org or www.aoa.org.

Dr. Joel Kestenbaum

www.optixeyecare.com

It’s that time of the year again.  The kids are going back to school.  Mom and dad are running out to get the children new clothes, a haircut and a new pencil case.  The cupboard is being filled with the peanut butter, tuna fish and other dietary essentials that are necessary for the brainpower for learning.

But what about vision?  Do parents know that 80 percent of learning comes through the eyes?  I didn’t make up this statistic.  I stole it from numerous studies that I’ve read about the relationship between vision and a child’s education.  And by the way, how would parents know about this statistic?

The sad thing about this statistic is that I live it every day I am in the office.  It seems that I am always examining older teenagers and adults that either have never had an eye examination or didn’t have an eye exam until they were at least in high school.  Many of these hard working adults have previously undetected vision problems, including lazy eye, farsightedness and glaucoma.  Some of their vision problems undoubtedly contributed to lack of a quality education and lower paying jobs.

As for the teenagers, how many years of schooling did they have prior to getting an eye exam?  Was it nine years, ten years or more?  How hard it must have been for many of these kids to see what their teachers were writing on the board.  Did they squint to see the homework assignment or did they copy it from their less visually impaired friends?  Are these kids in special classes because they are having trouble learning?  Did any one of their teachers think to ask the parents to have their child’s eyes examined?

If I sound upset, I am.  I place blame for this lack of parental education about their child’s eyesight on educators and medical professionals.  I suppose I have to include myself in this blame game but I know very well that I am one of those medical professionals that actually attempt to discuss the need for eye exams at an early age with my patients .  I go so far as to mention it to every engaged person, newlywed, pregnant woman and grandparent.

When I see a teenager for the first time I am always getting the history from the parents.  I usually ask why they waited to have their child’s eyes examined until this time.  The parent’s usual answer is that their child never complained that they couldn’t see.  My obnoxious thought is “did the child complain about a toothache before you took them to the dentist”?  Sometimes I actually express these thoughts to the parents if I think I have a good rapport with them.  My next question is “Did the pediatrician ever recommend an eye examination”?  Their answer is that the pediatrician did an eye exam every year.  Do pediatricians test for depth perception which can affect motor skills or color vision that can affect certain life skills or do a screening for glaucoma, or take a look through a dilated pupil to discover a previously undetected melanoma?  I don’t think so.

My point is that an eye exam is only an eye exam when an eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist) does the examination.  The rest is just a screening.  Screenings are valuable but do not take the place of a comprehensive eye examination by an eye doctor.   Early detection leads to early prevention.  Early detection leads to an easier time learning in school.  It does not mean that every child will be a genius if their eyes are examined.   It does mean that at least a child has a better chance of seeing what they need to see in order to have an easier time learning.

It has been a long time since my kids have been in grade school.  I am so glad my wife and I gave them all the tools they needed to get a quality education.   Remember to have your child’s eyes examined so that they too can have the tools they need for a quality education.  We had vision.  Do you?

Dr. Joel Kestenbaum

www.optixeyecare.com

Image Credit: Vince Alongi

• 80% of learning is through the eyes.
• 80% of a person’s lifetime exposure to ultraviolet light comes before he age of 18.
• Vision screening in a pediatrician’s office is NOT an eye examination.
• Vision screening in a school nurses office is NOT an eye examination.
• An eye doctor should examine a child by age three.

Signs that a child might have a problem with their eyes are:
•    Difficulty making eye contact
•    Difficulty tracking moving objects
•    Constant or intermittent crossing or misalignment of one or both eyes
•    The pupils appear white
•    Red, crusty, watery or painful eyes
•    Droopy eyelids
•    Squinting often
•    Eye rubbing
•    Constant blinking
•    Eyes appear to bulge

Here are some definitions of some common terms related to the eyes:

•    Nearsightedness… Can see near but has difficulty seeing far away.
•    Farsightedness… The eyes work harder than normal to see far away and work. even harder to see close up.  High degrees of farsightedness need to be treated in children.
•    Astigmatism… A distorted image created by a misshapen cornea.
•    Glaucoma…related to elevated pressure inside the eye.
•    Lazy Eye or Amblyopia… reduced vision from lack of use.  Early detection (before age 5 is mandatory) and treatment is necessary to ensure best visual results.
So parents, please be concerned about your child’s eyes and have their eyes examined at the earliest age possible.  You will be assuring that they have all the visual tools for a proper education and enjoyment of life’s experiences.  Isn’t now a good time?

Dr. Joel Kestenbaum
Optix Family Eyecare Center
www.optixeyecare.com