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
Everyone should get an eye exam early and even the small kidos. Found out our son needed glasses only in grade 2 till the teacher told us he was squinting so much.
We are booked for next week :)
I learned that I needed glasses at age 9 after failing an eye test with the school nurse. There were tears. “What do you mean you can’t see ANY of that?!” Her bedside manner left something to be desired, lol.
I schedule eye checkups for my children before they start school in September.
We got our youngest son’s eye’s checked just before he entered first grade. Had no idea one of his eyes wasn’t working properly but after wearing glasses for a few years it got all sorted out. Good thing we caught it early on!
we don’t have pearle vision where we live. Its not free either its 75.00/ visit
Not free for kids, Louise? Are you in the Maritimes? I know yearly eye exams are covered for children in almost every province in Canada, but sadly the Maritime provinces don’t seem to offer the same coverage.
I’m in BC. Kids are 25.45 adults are 75.45 and if its a major exam its 122.00 (like my husband last year was charge that much) we don’t have any coverage for eye exams so it does get costly.
Eye health is so important. Unfortunately my myopia wasn’t diagnosed until later in my teens which accounted for my incapacity to properly read lessons at school! Grr!
You have to keep up with the health of your children’s eye health.
ts very important to have the little ones eyes checked before school starts :)
Regular vision checkups are so important.