Back to School Planning
Don’t Overlook Eye Care
WRITTEN BY
DR. DOROTHY REYNOLDS OF SARATOGA HOSPITAL Dorothy Reynolds, MD, is a fellowshiptrained pediatric ophthalmologist and head of Saratoga Hospital Medical Group – Pediatric Eye Care. Learn more at SaratogaHospital.org
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hether your child is returning to school in the classroom or online, now’s a good time to be on the lookout for vision problems that could affect learning. August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety month and a good reminder of the benefits of vision screening. Experts agree that about 80% of what children learn comes from information that’s presented visually. That places kids with undetected vision problems — roughly 1 in 4 school-aged children in the U.S. — at a significant disadvantage. School can be frustrating for students who can’t see clearly. It’s hard and tiring to keep up when you’re struggling to decipher words and numbers. Confidence suffers when you lag behind your classmates in reading comprehension. Physical activities are less enjoyable if you can’t make out that soccer goal line in the distance. The good news is that vision problems can be detected through appropriate vision screenings, allowing for earlier treatment with better vision outcomes.
24 | SARATOGA FAMILY | FALL 2021
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