Children's Vision Care

Protect the Health of Your Child’s Eyes: Visit Kingsway Eye Care

Did you know that according to a study conducted by the Toronto District School Board in 2011, 25% of school age children have a vision problem, and yet according to the Canadian Optometric Association, 85% of children begin school without a proper eye exam!

Many times, children will not complain of vision problems simply because they have not developed the sensory awareness to identify what “normal” vision looks like. Accordingly, parents will often not even realize there is a vision problem with their child.

Many serious eye conditions are asymptomatic, so parents may not even realize there is a problem with their child’s vision.

Also, children are incredibly adaptive and will not be aware if one eye is not functioning to its full ability. For instance, a child may have one eye that sees well, and consequently is more reliant on that eye. However, this adaptation has long term consequences for the eye that is not being used, which if left uncorrected, can cause blindness in that eye.

Often, many parents mistakenly believe that a “passed” Vision Screening conducted by their child’s Pediatrician, preschool or school physical indicates their child has healthy eyes. However, vision screen is not a comprehensive eye examination. Many eye conditions can pass a Vision Screening and yet pose a problem later down the road.

The only way to know with certainty if your child has health vision, is to have a comprehensive eye exam by an Optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Studies have shown that 61% of Canadian parents mistakenly believe that they would know if their child were having difficulty with their eye sight.

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Early childhood is a sensitive period for the development of a child’s visual system and undetected and untreated vision problems can lead to serious long-term visual impairments and developmental consequences.

At Kingsway Eye Care, we are here to protect your child’s vision and to help them reach their full potential.

It is recommended that children should have their first eye exam between 6 and 9 months, and annually thereafter:

Learning & Development are Intimately Linked to Vision

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More than 80% of your child’s learning and development is based on vision, therefore excellent vision and eye health are essential for your child to reach their full potential.
Visual development is a process that begins prior to your child’s birth and continues throughout life.
Every movement, shape, colour, texture and picture your child is exposed to contributes to the development of their visual skills. When these visual skills work together, your child is able to see and understand clearly.
By investing in your child’s health and vision, you are enabling them to play, learn, socialize and experience all that life has to offer.

Some children with poor vision are mistakenly labelled as having a learning disability or behavioural problems. When in fact, studies reveal that 70% of children with behavioural problems often have an undiagnosed vision problem. For more see our link on how Vision Therapy can help.

If detected, these conditions can be corrected by an Optometrist. Often corrective lenses or vision therapy will be prescribed, enabling young children with poor vision to rapidly catch up to their peers.

The earlier a vision problem is diagnosed and treated, the less of an impact it will have on the child’s development.

Uncorrected vision problems can lead to:

Learning at a slower rate than other children
Frustration with learning
Behavior and discipline problems
Possible need for special education and related services

More Info on Vision Therapy

Kingsway Eye Care Family Optometry Cares

Vision occurs in partnership with the eyes and the brain. The longer a child’s vision problem goes diagnosed and untreated, the more a child’s brain learns to accommodate a vision problem.

Early detection and treatment provides the best opportunity to correct a vision problem.

At Kingsway Eye Care Family Optometry, we are focused on the ocular health of your children and family.

Dr. Do and the Kingsway Eye Care team pride themselves on providing gentle and compassionate care for your little ones.

We believe that your children deserve the best eye care and the opportunity for a lifetime of clear vision and healthy eyes.

Protect your children’s vision and visit us at Kingsway Eye Care to see how we stand out from other optometry offices.

Early Intervention is Essential

Your child’s vision is priceless, early detection of common childhood eye conditions is critical in fostering healthy visual development and maintaining healthy eyes for life.

Every child, even those without noticeable eye problems, should have an eye examination before his or her first birthday. Early detection of treatable eye disease in infancy and childhood can have far reaching implications for vision and, in some cases, for general health.

Ambloypia (also known as “Lazy Eye”) is an example of an eye condition that requires early detection and intervention (before the age of 6) for a full visual recovery. Amblyopia affects one or both eyes and results from an uncorrected refractive error or a misalignment of the eyes (Strabismus) during the early stages of a child’s visual development.

Untreated amblyopia affects everyday visual tasks. In fact, a study reported by the Canadian Optometrist Association, reported that AMBLYOPIA individuals perceive their visual condition to affect their school performance (55%), work performance (48%) and general lifestyle (50%).

Another condition that commonly affects children is Strabismus (also known as “Crossed Eyes”). Strabismus is not uncommon in newborns due to incomplete vision development, and usually self-corrects as the newborn’s visual system develops. However, when Strabismus does not self-correct, and the condition remains untreated, it can lead to double vision, amblyopia or visual symptoms that could interfere with reading and classroom learning.

At Kingsway Eye Care, young children are tested for visual acuity capabilities with a child-friendly eye chart that is both easy to understand and administer. Visual conditions like Amblyopia and Strabismus as well as other conditions are tested, and if detected, treatment is promptly administered.

All children are also dilated (if possible) and given a retinal photo examination to establish a baseline of the retinal health of each eye.
Your child’s vision is priceless. Bring them in for their annual comprehensive eye exam and give them the gift of clear vision and healthy eyes for life.

Frequently Asked Question by Parents

Q: My child has “Passed” a Vision Screening, does he/she still need to see an Optometrist?

Yes!!

Parents often do not recognize that there are considerable differences between a Vision Screening and a Comprehensive Eye Examination by an Optometrist.

A Vision Screening conducted at a Pediatrician’s office, as part of a preschool or school physical cannot substitute for a professional Comprehensive Eye Examination by an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist.

Vision Screenings evaluations provided by Pediatricians or other primary care practitioners generally only include a screening of visual acuity and gross ocular alignment.

In other words, your child can “pass” a vision screening, yet have an eye condition. This creates a false sense of security and serve as an unnecessary barrier to the early diagnosis of vision problems in your child.

The only way to absolutely verify the ocular health of your child is to bring your child to an Optometrist for a Comprehensive Eye Examination.

For instance, the following conditions may be present in your child, yet will not be detected in a Vision Screening:

For instance, the following conditions may be present in your child, yet will not be detected in a Vision Screening:
Accommodative esotropia Amblyopia Astigmatism Brown Syndrome Congenital cataracts Color blindness Conjunctivitis Convergence insufficiency Cortical visual impairment Cranial nerve palsies Hyperopia	Learning difficulties related to vision Myopia Nasolacrimal duct obstruction Nystagmus Optic nerve conditions Ptosis Retinopathy of prematurity Strabismus Duane Syndrome Esotropia Exotropia

Only a Comprehensive Eye Exam by an Optometrist can identify if any of the above conditions are present in your child.

Q: Does Kingsway Eye Care conduct speaking engagements for children's vision care?

Absolutely Yes.

Kingsway Eye Care knows that most parents are unfortunately not aware of the importance of children’s eye exams.

For this reason, Kingsway Eye Care conducts complimentary presentations at local Etobicoke preschools to educate parents about the importance for early eye examinations for their little ones.

To enquire about Kingsway Eye Care presenting at your child-related engagement, please enquire.

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Adults or children lacking in these critical functional visual skills will have problems reading, writing and may even have exhibit behavioural issues. All of which can lead to emotional, physical and visual barriers to long term academic success and stress free visual work day.

Is there a relationship between binocular vision problems and academic success?

Several published studies suggest that the answer is, "yes"

A 2010 study journal BMC Ophthalmology by Dusek at al. investigated the visual functioning of two groups of school-aged children in Austria . The study found that the group of children with reading difficulties was statistically more likely to have visual problems such as poorer distance visual acuity, and binocular problems such as slower reading speeds

The study confirmed the importance of a full assessment of binocular visual status in order to detect and remedy these deficits in order to prevent the visual problems continuing to impact upon educational development.

A similar study conducted by the prestigious Mayo clinic concluded vision therapy benefited for children's suffering from binocular vision disorders. http://newswise.com/articles/view/545210

Who is Vision Therapy for?

Vision therapy is beneficial for individuals with learning related disabilities, patients suffering from post concussion visual symptoms and for patients with strabismus and amblyopia (lazy eye). By understanding our Visual-Vestibular- Auditory Integration one can truly appreciate the benefits of vision therapy. Rehabilitative vision therapy goes beyond eye training exercises, it is the key to unlocking and improving the following deficiencies:

Learning Disabilities

Developmentally Delayed

ADHD

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Traumatic Brain Injury

Athletes – Sports Performance Enhancement

It should be noted that rehabilitative vision therapy is not limited to children, adults gain great success with vision therapy as well. For adults, learning and cognition is delayed after a traumatic brain injury such as concussions or strokes. The success rate of rehabilitative vision therapy is high due to the high motivation factor of adults as they are more in tune and aware of their visual dysfunction. Furthermore, therapeutic vision therapy benefits for adults is in the areas of sports vision and rehabilitative vision therapy is well documented to help to enhance and fine tune oculomotor control for clear comfortable vision.

Rehabilitative vision therapy is a prescribed doctor-assisted, non invasive treatment used to improve, enhance and/or develop visual function so that the visual system runs more efficiently and automatically. This is done by building strong, faster, more connected neural pathways along our visual vestibular auditory integration. This neural integration can take place regardless of age of treatment. Patients learn to use their visual abilities in new or more enhanced ways by participating in various vision training exercises that utilize the use of lenses, prisms, filters, patches and other materials and equipment. Therapy treatments are designed to enhance a set of skills to conscious awareness, practice using those skills to mastery so they become automatic.

How improvements in Visual Skills are related to Learning?

For children, rehabilitative vision therapy offers the ability to treat a child’s core visual processing skills that are directly related to a child’s academic performance and behaviour in school. Rehabilitative vision therapy bridges the gap between what the eyes allow us to see and how the brain interprets that information otherwise known as a ‘Vision Performance Assessment’. In other words, Rehabilitative vision therapy addresses the barriers to academic performance despite seeing 20/20 or not requiring glasses for kids with functional academic problems for kids labelled with learning related disorders, ADHD, and developmental delays.

Visual Performance Assessment

Where to start?

During your comprehensive 12 step ocular health eye exam, our doctors will assess based on the visual signs and symptoms if an individual is in need of an additional Visual Performance Assesement (VPA) to assess an individual’s higher order functional visual skills that goes beyond a routine comprehensive eye exam. A Visual Performance Assessment of functional visual skills will require 2.5 hrs to administer. The performance assessment exam includes a visagraph reading analysis of an individual’s oculomotor efficiency eye control and fixation.

Further higher order functional tests to evaluate one’s visual processing skills are also evaluated. They include the following tests:

Visual Performance Assement

The fee to administer and evaluate this advanced visual performance assessment is $375 and requires an additional visit after the annual eye examination. The time and costs to administer and evaluate this test is not included in your comprehensive eye exam. This advanced diagnostic testing goes beyond the scope of basic OHIP insured services. Following the visual performance evaluation, the doctor will counsel if rehabilitative visual therapy would benefit the individuals visual deficiencies. Rehabilitative Visual Therapy sessions are booked in 45 min in- office therapy sessions. Along with in office therapy sessions, at home supportive therapy activities will be given to strengthen the foundations of the visual skills learned from the office.

Advanced Vision Rehabiliative Solutions

Visual therapy results will vary depending on the severity of the condition, and compliance of the home supportive therapy activities. Expect at least 20 weeks to 40 weeks of therapy needed to rehabilitate the various visual dysfunctions. Please speak to your doctor for further details on prognosis and follow up treatments as needed.

Depending on your insurance carrier and coverage rehabilitative vision therapy treatment may be reimbursed through your third party private insurance. Please inquire with your insurance carrier for coverage limits. Our office does not do direct billing for vision therapy , Detailed receipts will be provided.

Vision Therapy to treat Strabismus and Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

For adults and children who were told, strabismus and amblyopia cannot be treated past a certain age were misinformed. In fact, recent studies by the National Eye Institute on the treatment of amblyopia has shown success https://nei.nih.gov/health/amblyopia

Traditional Strabismus /Amblyopia treatment typically involves prescribing glasses and then passively patching the stronger eye with an eye patch or using eye drops to blur the better-seeing eye while doing daily activities. This is the common traditional approach taken by many medical practitioners for amblyopia and the duration of the patching can vary from two to six hours per day depending on the severity of the amblyopia.

Traditionally, patching and/or prescribing glasses have been used to treat amblyopia, often for children at a younger age. Today, studies have shown that combining vision therapy with patching is a more effective treatment for lazy eye in children and adults than just patching alone.

Rehabilitative Vision therapy treats the Root Cause of Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)

The reason vision therapy is so important in amblyopia treatment is that it gets at the root cause: the two eyes do not work in binocular unison and do not perceive visual space the same and therefore do not work together. They can’t produce healthy “binocular” vision or 3D vision. Patching of an eye is a passive form of lazy eye treatment. Vision therapy is the modern day form of active engagement of the amblyopic eye (lazy) so that both eyes work in unison, rather than work independently.

Individuals with amblyopia do not develop binocular vision, so amblyopia is essentially a binocular problem, not a monocular problem as we were misled to believe . Patching is a monocular solution when a binocular solution is needed to prevent amblyopic visual regression.

How do you correct amblyopia (lazy eye)? Our goal at the Academy of Vision Therapy is for strabismic and amblyopic eye patients to train the brain to process information from each eye as equally as possible, and then train to get both eyes to work together (binocular) as a team.

Basically, the two eyes don’t see visual space the same. We’re working to get the eyes to see visual space more similarly, so they can work as a team. The approach taken by developmental optometrists that practice vision therapy generally includes the following steps:

In summary, rehabilitative vision therapy for strabismic and amblyopia patient works by enhancing the biofeedback to teach the brain to blend the information from the two eyes to synergistically work together (3D fusion). Frequently this process can align the eyes without surgery or in some cases remediate or enhance outcomes after surgery is performed to help improve eye alignment, improve depth perception for school, sports, and leisure activities. Successful treatment of strabismus and amblyopia aligns both eyes and creates binocular depth perception for seeing the three dimensional beauty of our world.

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