Key takeaways
- Undetected vision problems can look like learning or behavioral issues, such as trouble focusing or falling behind in reading.
- A vision screening and a comprehensive eye exam are not the same thing. Only a comprehensive eye exam by an eye care professional can fully evaluate your child’s eyes and vision.
- School vision screenings in Arizona are not legally required every year. A child can go years without getting their vision checked.
- The earlier a vision problem is caught, the better. Vision development is most sensitive to correction during the first seven to eight years of life.
School is hard enough when you’re trying to learn something new. But imagine sitting in class, not quite following along, and not knowing why.
For Kristi DeWitt Quintero, general agency relationship executive Delta Dental of Arizona, that feeling was part of her everyday experience growing up.
She remembers loving school but struggling to keep up. Math didn’t make sense. Reading and spelling felt harder than they should have. And no matter how hard she tried, it felt like everyone else understood something she didn’t.
“I genuinely believed that I was bad at math and average at best with other subjects,” she shared.
It wasn’t until later that she discovered the reason.
She couldn’t see the board.
How Vision Problems in Children Go Undetected
This is what makes childhood vision problems so easy to miss: kids have no frame of reference.
When you’ve always seen the world in a certain way, you assume that’s just how the world looks. Blurry letters on the board, squinting to read, losing your place mid-sentence—if that’s your normal, you don’t think to mention it. You just think you’re not trying hard enough.
And when you can’t keep up, it doesn’t feel like a vision problem, it feels personal.
“It felt really humiliating when I could not understand these simple concepts that everybody else in my class seemed to catch on to,” remembered DeWitt Quintero.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), many vision problems in children go undetected by parents, teachers and the children themselves without a formal vision screening. That’s partly because vision problems don’t always look like vision problems. They can look like short attention span, a reading delay or a child who doesn’t seem motivated.
“It’s as if I was going to school part-time because I couldn’t see the board.”
The window to catch and correct vision problems is also narrower than most parents realize. Vision development is most sensitive to correction during the first seven to eight years of life. After that, some conditions become harder to treat.
The Moment It Clicked
DeWitt Quintero didn’t put the pieces together as a child. She put them together 45 years later, sitting in a meeting.
There, a story was shared about a student struggling in school. His grades were down and his teachers had low expectations. Then he was identified as having a vision problem and was fitted with glasses on the spot.
“All of a sudden, his grades took off.”
Sitting in that room, something clicked for DeWitt Quintero.
“I’m thinking, oh my God, that is my story.” She went home and confirmed it with her parents. The glasses and the advanced math class happened at the same time—she just hadn’t known it until now.
“I got the glasses and suddenly, miraculously, not only did my math skills take off, I actually got put in advanced math and honors English and AP everything else,” said DeWitt Quintero. “It was just the missing link. Simply, I couldn’t see the board.”
What Vision Screenings Check (And What They Miss)
In Arizona, public and charter schools are required by law to screen student’s vision. Private schools are not held to the same requirement. Children are typically screened when starting preschool and kindergarten, in third grade and again in seventh grade. When a child enrolls in a new school that requires a vision screening, they must provide documentation or have a screening completed in the first 90 days.
Vision screenings can check for a range of issues, including:
- How clearly a child sees at a distance
- Whether their eyes are properly aligned
- Whether there are signs of conditions like lazy eye or the need for glasses
But they aren’t a complete picture. According to the American Optometric Association, a child can pass a vision screening and still have a vision problem related to eye focusing, eye tracking or eye coordination—all of which affect how well a child reads and learns.
A comprehensive eye exam is where those gaps get filled. Unlike a screening, it checks your child’s vision and the internal structures of their eyes, which gives the eye care professional a complete picture of their eye health.
Think of a vision as a first filter, not a final answer.
How to Support Your Child’s Vision Health
It can be hard to spot the signs that your child has vision problems. Some are more obvious than others like a child who squints, sits too close to the TV or holds a book unusually close to their face. But other signs that are easier to miss, a child who rubs their eyes often or tilts their head to one side.
Then there are signs that show up in the classroom and are easy to misread. When a child can’t see the board or struggles to track words on a page, it can seem like they’re having trouble paying attention. In some cases, it can even look like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
DeWitt Quintero puts it simply: “Speak up and ask the simple questions, because this may change the trajectory of their life and their self-worth.”
The earlier a vision problem is caught, the more options there are to correct it. If you notice any of the signs above, start by scheduling a comprehensive eye exam with an eye care professional. You can find a vision provider near you to get started.
And even if nothing seems off, vision can change gradually without any obvious signs.
Vision Care is Part of the Bigger Picture
DeWitt Quintero’s story is personal, but it’s not uncommon. There are children in classrooms right now who are struggling for the same reason she did—and have no idea.
“This was life changing. This was so revealing to me. And looking back, it really could have saved me so much—so many teary homework nights and frustration.”
Vision is one of the primary ways children experience and absorb the world around them. When something is off, everything downstream can be affected: learning, confidence and how a child sees their own potential. The good news is that for most children, it’s correctable. But only if it gets caught.
Frequently Asked Questions
A vision screening is a quick check designed to flag obvious concerns. This includes how clearly your child sees, whether their eyes are properly aligned and whether there are signs of conditions like lazy eye or the need for glasses. A comprehensive eye exam is more in-depth. It’s where an eye care professional checks your child’s vision and the internal structures of their eyes to get a complete picture of their eye health.
Vision screenings typically start and your child’s regular pediatrician visits, as early as newborn checkups. If something is detected, your pediatrician will refer your child to an eye care professional for a comprehensive eye exam. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), children should have their first comprehensive eye exam between ages 3 and 5, before starting school.
Squinting, frequent headaches, sitting too close to the TV, rubbing their eyes often or struggling in school without a clear reason are all worth paying attention to. Keep in mind that children likely don’t know their vision is the problem, they assume everyone sees the world the same way they do.
School vision screenings are a good starting point, but they have limits. School screenings check for a range of issues including how clearly a child sees, whether their eyes are properly aligned and whether there are signs of conditions like lazy eye or needing glasses. But they aren’t made to catch every condition that could affect how your child reads, learns or processes what they see. A comprehensive eye exam is the only way to get a complete picture of your child’s eye health.
Yes! Comprehensive eye exams for children, administered by EyeMed, and are covered under DeltaVision® plans. Coverage details including how often exams are covered, vary by plan. Learn more about our visions plans at deltadentalaz.com/shop-for-plans.
Delta Dental of Arizona is working together with health and community leaders to explore barriers to vision care for children and finding ways to incorporate vision screenings and eye exams in underserved communities across the state.
