Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Dr. Kim Mulvihill ReportingParents will do anything they can to help their children learn, but many often overlook one of the easiest and most important steps they can take.
It's estimated that up to 80 percent of everything a child learns is processed through their eyes. That means if they can't see properly, they can't learn properly. That's why it's important to get your child's vision tested as early as possible.
Denise and Jimmy Peterson thought their son Dominic was a normal, healthy boy. He rode his bike, played video games like other kids. Then they noticed a problem.
Jimmy Peterson, Dominic's Dad: "My wife noticed when he would watch TV that he would squint and try to strain to see what he was seeing."
So they took Dominic to the UC Berkeley children's eye care clinic. A test showed he was very farsighted.
Studies show that one in four children in grades K through 6 have some sort of vision problem. Often they go undetected. Clinic director Doctor Pia Hoenig says that can have long term consequences.
Dr. Pia Hoenig, UC Berkeley: "If you wait until the child is in school, they are six or seven, then the visual system has already been set in many ways neurologically, so even though we intervene and prescribe glasses, the end result is not always as good."
Doctor Hoenig says children should get eye exams at six months, three years and five years to make sure they have no problems, and to make sure those who do have problems are treated as early as possible.
In Dominic's case it was something as simple as glasses. It's made a huge difference in and out of the classroom.
Dominic Peterson: "It's easier, like I can see things on the blackboard and stuff."
Denise Peterson, Dominic's Mom: "Before he got his glasses he really kept to himself, and in preschool he didn't really like join in on things. And after he got his glasses he'd totally get involved in things."
Often the warning signs that a child has vision problems are very subtle--squinting or blinking a lot. The best way to find out for sure is to get their eyes tested.
