On the Coast – Families Issue 94 I June/July 2018 | Page 15

Sure Eye Care
Don’t wait until
it is too late!
Dr Sarah Tait, Optometrist
O
nly 2 of 100 parents would wait for
symptoms to take their child to the
dentist. Yet, many parents wait until their
child has problems before taking them to
the Optometrist.
“Did you know that 1 in 5 children has
an undetected vision problem? Many
try to adapt to their vision problems
without knowing that life could be easier.”
Optometry Australia
Many parents don't know that kids/
teens can have a vision problem without
obvious symptoms.
While complaints of blurry vision and
sore eyes may prompt a parent to take
immediate action, other issues may be
subtler. Some of these less obvious signs
may surprise you:
ƒ ƒ Headaches/neck pain
ƒ ƒ Tilts head when looking at things
or reading
ƒ ƒ Sleepy when reading
ƒ ƒ Misreads/skips words or uses finger to
keep place
ƒ ƒ Poor comprehension or attention
ƒ ƒ Holds book or
hand held device
close
ƒ ƒ Difficulty copying
from board
ƒ ƒ Doesn’t like 3D
movies
ƒ ƒ Bumps into things, frequent bruises
ƒ ƒ Avoids or is not good at sports.
Kids today are learning to read at a
much early age. This is often before their
eyes are fully developed. Also, 2 out of
3 kids/teens spend more than 2 hours
a day using digital devices. This means
many are suffering from Digital Eye
Strain.
We all want our kids to be their best.
That’s why it’s important for your child
to have an eye exam before they start
school and every year thereafter. At Sure
Eye Care our friendly team is skilled at
working with children. We look forward to
caring for your child.
I have a special interest in kids’ vision
because I love working with kids. I enjoy
identifying kids with a vision issue, that
could have been easily missed, and
being able to help them achieve their full
learning, sporting and social potential.
If your child is at primary or high school
and has not had their eyes tested
in the last 2 years, you can make an
appointment with Sarah by calling
4337 6000 or book online at
www.sureeyecare.com.au.
Sarah is an Optometrist with a special interested in children’s vision. She is the principal Optometrist
at Sure Eye Care, a purpose built preventive eye care and vision education center in West Gosford. She
is the president of the Central Coast Optometry Soc