As parents, we diligently schedule regular check-ups for our children to ensure their overall health and well-being, including booking their general eye exams. And while these general eye exams are essential, it's important to understand that they often do not cover assessments of all the visual skills necessary for your child's development.
This is where developmental pediatric optometrists come into play. They provide a functional visual evaluation that goes beyond the basics, giving you a complete picture of your child's visual skills and overall development.
Let's delve into why a visit to Fox Vision Development Center can make a significant difference to your child's eye health and visual development.
The Limitations of General Eye Exams
General eye exams, conducted by optometrists, focus primarily on assessing visual acuity and identifying common refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. That said, while these exams are crucial for detecting and correcting basic vision problems, they may not uncover underlying issues and visual skill deficits that could hinder a child's overall performance and academic success.
The Power of Functional Visual Evaluations
Developmental pediatric optometrists are trained to assess and treat visual conditions that go beyond what a general eye exam checks for. These eye care professionals have extensive knowledge and expertise in evaluating the full range of visual skills required for optimal performance and learning. During a functional visual evaluation, a developmental optometrist checks up to 17 vital visual skills, evaluating a child's eye health, visual acuity, eye teaming, tracking abilities, depth perception, focusing skills, and much more.
Identifying Potential Vision Therapy Needs
Following a functional visual assessment, it may be recommended that your child undergo vision therapy, a personalized program designed to enhance specific visual skills. Vision therapy comprises a series of therapeutic activities and exercises that target visual processing, eye movements, coordination, and visual perception. This specialized approach aims to improve your child's visual abilities and enhance their overall visual performance.
Developmental pediatric optometrists have the expertise to diagnose these underlying visual deficits and determine whether vision therapy could benefit your child’s unique condition.
The Importance of Early Intervention
Early detection and intervention are key in addressing visual challenges in children. By identifying potential issues at an early stage, developmental pediatric optometrists and vision therapists can design targeted treatment plans to help children develop essential visual skills for success in academics, sports, and daily life. These vision therapy programs offer significant improvements in visual abilities, leading to enhanced learning and improved quality of life for your little one.
Schedule Your Child’s Functional Visual Evaluation
If your child hasn’t yet been assessed by a developmental pediatric optometrist, call Fox Vision Development Center to schedule an appointment.
Through thorough exams and vision therapy — if required — we can help ensure that your child is equipped with the best possible visual skills to set them up for a successful future.
