A new survey from The Global Myopia Awareness
Coalition (GMAC) reveals that while parents remain focused on their children’s
overall success, only 57% make regular appointments to stay on top of their
children’s health.
Parents ranked annual visits to the eye doctor
as less important than visits to the dentist or pediatrician. In fact, only 27%
of parents reported taking their children to an optometrist in the past year.
This may be due to the misperceptions the survey also revealed about what
comprehensive eye exams entail.
For example, while most parents (85%) said they
were at least somewhat familiar with comprehensive eye exams, 88% also believed
that comprehensive exams aren’t needed until their children enter school, and
nearly half (48%) believed that a pediatrician could conduct them. In reality,
an annual comprehensive eye exam should be scheduled for children as early as
six months old, can only be conducted by an eye care specialist, and are vital
to diagnosing common vision problems like myopia, or nearsightedness, which can
increase the risk of eye diseases later in life.
Unlike regular visits to the dentist or
pediatrician, parents reported waiting until something is “wrong,” like their
children telling them they can’t see the whiteboard (66%), seeing their
children squint more than normal (62%), or seeing their children hold materials
far away (52%), in order to take them in for a comprehensive eye exam.
“We know parents will do just about anything to
help their kids succeed, and healthy vision plays a big role in that, whether a
child is able to express it to their parents or not,” said Matt Oerding,
Co-Founder and CEO of Treehouse Eyes and GMAC Board Chairman. “Knowing your
children’s potential risk of myopia and taking action before it’s too late can
benefit their academic and athletic performance, personal growth and overall
health.”
GMAC is committed to increasing public
awareness about myopia and ensuring parents set their children up for success
today and in the future.
Click HERE for the full press release.
