ABOUT one quarter of Bendigo students are struggling through school with an undetected vision problem, according to Australian research.
These statistics prompted the Optometrists Association of Australia to develop a Good Vision Initiative with the aim of educating parents and teachers about children’s visual development and the signs to be watchful for.
Since the initiative was launched four years ago the number of children presenting for optometric examinations has doubled.
Bendigo UFS optometrist Yien Law said it was important parents and teachers were aware of such issues.
“A vision problem not only affects a child’s academic performance but can also impact on their personal and social development,” she said.
“There are still over 600,000 school children sitting at their desks, experiencing a vision problem, but they are not receiving any form of vision care.
“As children spend a large amount of time at home completing homework, reading, playing video games and watching television, parents play a crucial role in identifying vision problems.
“Parents need to be able to recognise the signs that may indicate their child has a vision problem.”
Some of the common symptoms of vision problems in a child include; frequent blinking, excessive eye movements, books being held very close to read, confusion of similar words, squinting or frowning to see the board, complaints of headaches or sore eyes and tilting of the head excessively to one side, up or down.
Parents are advised to have their children examined at six months of age, three years, five years and then every two years.
Ms Law said those eye examinations were covered under Medicare and more than 95 per cent of optometric services were bulk billed.
