Before I met my husband, I was a little lax about my boys’ eye exams. Even though I had heard it was important that children have yearly exams, living in a small town made booking appointments tricky and both boys did so well in school that I was confident their eyes were fine.
But when my glasses-wearing husband scheduled his own eye exam last year, I decided the timing was perfect to have both boys get their exams as well, though I fully expected them both to pass with flying colours. Imagine my shock when the optometrist announced my oldest would benefit from glasses for schoolwork and reading! And my experience was by no means unique; a recent survey found that one in four children have an undiagnosed vision problem.
One year later, I’m passionate about making sure my boys have their annual exam*. Still, taking a child for an eye exam can be a little stressful, and so can choosing that perfect pair of glasses. Pearle Vision is a company that’s made it a priority not just to ensure eye health but to listen to patients, ensuring that they’re comfortable through the entire eye exam process. So, last week, I took my oldest to the nearest Pearle Vision to get his vision checked and ensure he was ready for the new school year.
Zackary is a pretty confident child, but he still gets a little nervous visiting a doctor. He has a fear of any type of pain and worries about the strange equipment sometimes needed for checkups and diagnoses. But from the optometrist himself to the staff that assisted with the exam, everybody at the Pearle Vision office went above and beyond to make sure Zackary was comfortable with every step of the eye exam process.
It wasn’t long before my oldest son was chatting with the doctor and staff as if he’d known them for a lifetime. And being naturally curious, he also had plenty of questions about the results of his exam. He found that he was better able to recognize the difference in strength between his right and left eye. The doctor suggested that Zackary’s one weaker left eye might potentially develop into a lazy eye, and recommended continuing with glasses for school and reading to help prevent that.
With the diagnosis in and the prescription ready, it was time for the fun part…shopping! Zackary decided fairly early on what pair of frames he liked best, but the staff still took their time making sure he was completely happy with them by letting him try plenty of different styles, colours and brands.
I didn’t realize at first, but my frugal son was keeping an eye on the price tags of each set of frames as well, and was determined to pick a pair that was both stylish and well-priced! That was no problem at Pearle Vision, since the selection ranges from luxury designer brands to budget frames and everything in between. The dark brown frames Zackary finally chose suited him perfectly, and he can’t wait to pick them up in a few weeks, just in time for the new school year.
As a parent, the biggest priority for me when visiting an optometrist is making sure that I trust the doctor’s diagnosis, because I want to make sure my son has everything he needs to succeed in school and in life. But my second-biggest priority is making sure that my son is happy and comfortable both during the exam and with the diagnosis he receives. Pearle Vision satisfied both my requirements in every way, and my son’s beaming smile throughout the eye exam process is a testament to just how relaxed he felt about everyone in the office.
It’s been determined that children do 80% of their learning at school visually, so making sure your child’s vision is the best it can be prior to the start of the new school year is an essential part of school success. And since annual eye exams for children under 18 are covered by our universal health care, there’s no reason to wait! Arrange your child’s Pearle Vision eye exam today and see how the company’s commitment to personalized care can help make the eye exam process fun for kids from start to finish!
*eye exams arranged
Getting children’s eyes examined is so very important, they often don’t realise that they don’t see as well as everyone else – like my grandson. Who had pretty bad sight when it was first diagnosed. He now wears contact lenses when he sleeps at night and the next day he can see perfectly – I’ve never heard of this type of lens before.
That sounds amazing, Elizabeth! I’ve never heard of this before either, but how handy for kids that might have trouble remembering their glasses!
We haven’t taken our oldest daughter to get her eyes checked yet but definitely an important thing on the list to do before she goes back to school. We have gotten her ears checked, next is eyes
My kids go every year just before school starts as long
as they look cool
I think it’s a great thing to take your kids in early to get their eyes checked!!
Checking your children’s eye health and vision is so very important. Not all children realize that there is an issue with their vision because they become accustom to it so checking can really make a positive change for them.
Those frames look like they were made for him,such a handsome young man !
I too am so glad the eye exams are covered in our province.We have two in our family that also have glaucoma.Just the running around to doctors and getting prescriptions can get costly. Their eyes are so important!
My children go to eye specialists now as they have both been diagnosed with glaucoma which is very rare for children so we don’t mess around with their eyes. They have also both had lazer surgery to open the drains in their eyes as their pressures were so high the drs were concerned they would go blind
So sorry to hear that and hope that all goes well for your boys.
I havent visited pearle vision yet I think I will next eye exam
Here in our province kids exams are free, so we’ve always gone, esp since both hubby and I are blind without our glasses. My husband is also diabetic so his apts are all free as well.
Yes! I love that kids are covered for exams in Canada; it makes getting that eye exam so much easier for the kids that need it! And isn’t it funny how having someone in the family with glasses is such a reminder for the whole family? It makes me ashamed I didn’t take my boys sooner, but happy that I’m more vigilant about it now!