Medical professionals are urging parents to add comprehensive eye exams to their back-to-school checklists as families prepare for the new school year.
Jami Kulpinski, optical manager at Eye Clinic of Wisconsin, said nearly 80% of learning in the classroom is visual.
When children can clearly see, they're more likely to participate, build confidence and succeed in school.
"I think a healthy eye exam should be number one on the checklist," Kulpinski said.
She said vision plays a crucial role in both academics and athletics.
"If a child can see and feel confident that they know what that board says, they're going to participate a lot more which enhances their confidence on many things," Kulpinski said. "Sports also tend to increase if children get regular eye exams because they can see the ball as it's being thrown or coming at them."
She reminded parents that a school vision screening is not the same as a comprehensive eye exam.
"A vision screening is only testing how a child is going to see in the distance," Kulpinski said. "It does not check all of the other things such as, how the eyes work together, muscle development the health of the eyes and the eyelids and all of those things."
She said changing daily habits are also affecting children's eyesight.
"The world that we live in now, greatly affects how eye development is happening," Kulpinski said. "It's an evolution that we are seeing in real time right now. A very drastic increase in myopia, nearsightedness. Where children are not seeing far away as they should."
The problem is increasing as children spend more time focusing on phones, tablets and other nearby activities.
"The best thing you can do for your kids is get them outside," Kulpinski said. "Playing outside in the sun, just focusing far distance."
She encourages families to make comprehensive eye exams part of their yearly routine.
"It's not about the prescription of the side effects, it's about health and catching things early for all of us," Kulpinski said.
