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When a little boy broke down in tears in third grade last fall, Audrey Jost pulled him aside while the other children were at recess. He said he had headaches and was falling behind other students, so Jost talked to his parents about getting his eyes checked.
Jost, who teaches at a public school in Gilbert, Arizona, said the boy returned a few days later with contact lenses and looked like a completely different child.
“It was amazing, the change he had academically and socially,” he said. “He totally shined that day.”
Jost said she’s seen this problem — and its relatively simple solution — many times in her 18 years of teaching, including with one of her own daughters.
That’s why experts say the end of summer is a good time to add eye exams to your back-to-school list.
Vision problems often go undiagnosed
The American Optometric Association says that 1 in 4 children starts school with some type of vision problem, affecting their ability to learn, participate in sports and see the world around them.
But many kids don’t tell you they have a problem because they don’t realize they have a problem, says Annette Webb, an optometrist in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
“They have nothing to compare it to,” Webb said, telling the story of a boy who loved drawing trees but had never seen individual leaves until he got glasses. “They think everybody sees like them.”
Many children with undiagnosed vision problems may develop behavioral problems because they are already prone to being distracted. They may want to entertain themselves, which can cause disruptions in class. Or they may be seen copying a neighboring student’s work but can’t actually see the math problem on the board, Webb said.
“Don’t initially assume they’re cheating all the time,” Webb said. “If someone habitually looks at their neighbor’s newspaper, I would definitely say that’s a red flag.”
How to recognize a vision problem
Other signs that parents and teachers should look out for include squinting eyes, an urge to move around in class, and headaches, especially in the afternoon, which are likely caused by eye strain.
“Any kind of complaint, like they can’t see, they’re rubbing their eyes a lot, their eyes are red, they’re bumping into things, they should get checked out,” said Megan Collins, an ophthalmologist at Johns Hopkins University.
Collins emphasizes that vision screenings, which are mandatory in most states, are a critical first step to identifying children with potential eye problems. As a public health researcher, she advocates for strengthening vision programs in school to help address inequities in access to screenings and eye tests in underserved areas.
But he said the end of summer is still a good time to remind families about the importance of vision for learning. A good way to start is with an annual checkup with a pediatrician, who will perform routine vision screenings that can help detect children at risk for the most common diseases.
The exceptions are children who have a family history of eye problems or diseases that affect the eyes, such as diabetes, or children who take medications with potential side effects, he said. They should have a proper eye exam every year.
How to access eye care
If you don’t have a vision plan or can’t afford glasses, talk to the school nurse. Some schools, especially in larger cities and underserved areas, have programs that provide free eye exams and glasses.
There are also a number of private programs that provide discounted or free eyeglasses to low-income families, such as those run by Lions Clubs International or civic associations such as VSP Eyes of Hope, one of the largest vision insurance providers.
Once a problem is fixed, it’s important to have communication between parents and teachers to make sure kids are wearing the glasses, Collins said.
Fortunately, the old image of the four-eyed nerd wearing coke bottle glasses no longer has the power it once did.
“The exciting thing is that kids nowadays love wearing glasses at school,” he said. “They like the style and the colour, which is very different from when I was a child.”
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