AAP Voices Blog

Healthy Vision Resources Are a Sight for Sore Eyes

Recently, a 3-year-old boy walked into my office with his mother who told me that she had noticed him squinting and sitting close to the television. She thought he was a little clumsy and could not tell who a person was until they got very close to him. He also failed a recent vision screening at his pediatrician’s office. During his initial eye exam, he could barely see an otherwise familiar shape that was the size of the largest E on an eye chart. I also observed him carefully walking to the exam chair, seemingly needing to feel his way around. After the diagnosis of very high nearsightedness, I spent considerable time discussing his need for glasses with his mother. She was in shock. No one else in their immediate family wore glasses, and she worried he would be teased in school. She also thought there was no way he would put them on.

Imagine my surprise three months later, when he flew past me from the waiting room, glasses on, and lunged into the exam chair. His mother could barely keep up. She told me how surprised she was that not only did he wear the glasses, but he sometimes would fall asleep with them on. His development had also taken off since he got the glasses, and she was thrilled. He even had a few friends in his preschool class who wore glasses too.

This story illustrates a few of the barriers to eye care in children that families face: the perceived social stigma of wearing glasses, the belief they are not needed, and the concern that a young child will never wear them. I counsel parents that if their child needs glasses and the prescription is correct, the child will be too smart to take them off.

“Unfortunately, there are also barriers to eye care access including lack of insurance coverage for eye exams and glasses, limited understanding of eye problems and the need for eye care, as well as language barriers.”

On the other hand, some parents will predict that their child will one day need glasses based on their family history. It is not uncommon for multiple siblings within a family to need glasses or treatment for an eye condition. There is a genetic component to many eye conditions. It is well-understood for a lot of eye conditions beginning in childhood that early detection and treatment may lead to a better visual outcome. Amblyopia and strabismus are two childhood eye conditions that benefit from earlier detection, which has improved with the advent of vision screening devices and the continued use of traditional eye charts. The parenting website for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) HealthyChildren.org has multiple articles discussing the importance of eye care, including vision screening for babies and children and treatment for children.

Some eye conditions are more closely linked to environmental factors and systemic health conditions. Early detection can improve visual outcomes in both children and adults. Unfortunately, there are also barriers to eye care access including lack of insurance coverage for eye exams and glasses, limited understanding of eye problems and the need for eye care, as well as language barriers.

This month, the AAP Section on Ophthalmology is joining the National Eye Institute (NEI) to help encourage patients and their families to participate in Healthy Vision Month for improved awareness of eye health.

The theme for 2023 is Healthy Vision: A Family Focus — an opportunity to inspire families to learn how to protect their vision together. The NEI is centering this year’s campaign on Hispanic/Latino families with resources available in English and Spanish. You can help families protect their vision and facilitate efforts to achieve more equitable eye care.

See all of NEI’s Healthy Vision Month resources

Below are a few ways to get involved in Healthy Vision Month 2023:

1. Connect families to health programs that can help pay for eye care. Making sure everyone has access to quality eye care gets us a step closer to achieving health equity. Share these resources to help families pay for eye care.
2. Check out NEI’s comprehensive webpages about eye conditions and diseases. Get up-to-date and evidence-based information about eye conditions and diseases in English and Spanish.
3. For children, make eye health fun. Share these resources focused on children — like games, interesting videos about the eye, and tips for preventing eye injuries.
4. Promote NEI's healthy vision resources. Share NEI’s eye health resources to help everyone learn how to protect their vision.

Vea todos los recursos del NEI relacionados con el Mes de la Visión Saludable.

Compartimos con usted 5 formas en las que puede involucrarse en el Mes de la Visión Saludable 2023:

1. Conecte a las familias con programas de salud que pueden ayudar a pagar por el cuidado de los ojos. Asegurar que todos tengamos acceso a un cuidado ocular de calidad nos acerca un paso más a lograr la igualdad en el acceso a la salud. Comparta estos recursos para ayudar a las familias a pagar por el cuidado de los ojos. 
2. Comparta la completa sección del NEI sobre enfermedades y problemas oculares. Obtenga información actualizada y científicamente probada sobre las enfermedades de los ojos en inglés y en español. 
3. Para los niños, ¡haga que la salud de los ojos sea entretenida! Difunda estos recursos desarrollados para los niños (en inglés) donde encontrará juegos, videos interesantes sobre los ojos y consejos para prevenir lesiones oculares. 
4. Promocione los recursos del NEI para una visión saludable. Comparta los recursos del NEI sobre la salud ocular para ayudar a todos a aprender cómo proteger su visión.