All school age children need to be evaluated annually for refractive error, oculomotor development, and visual perceptual function. Studies have proven that uncorrected refractive error can hinder the development and progress of children during the critical years, when they learn to read. Often times children that fall behind cannot complete with their classmates, due to undiagnosed visual obstacles. This can lead to delayed development, poor self-esteem, delinquency, and withdrawal from social activities.
Many times, children who have not been properly evaluated by an eye care professional get misdiagnosed with dyslexia and learning disabilities. Dr. Battani believes that any child who has been labeled with any of these tags, before being evaluated properly for uncorrected refractive error, is a misdiagnosis until proven otherwise.
Most early learning struggles can be easily remedied with proper vision correction. Recent advances in technology have opened new doors for treatment and management, such as myopia control. Statistically, the odds your children will be myopic are greater if one parent is myopic. If both parents are myopic the risk increases dramatically. Early identification of patients with higher risk and early intervention increase the chance to slow the progression and development of higher levels of myopia. High myopes have greater risk for developing glaucoma, retinal detachment, and geographic optic atrophy later in life. So, the importance of early detection can significantly reduce the risk for your children.