Back to school series: Is your child struggling to see clearly?

The school year is already underway, but it’s never too late to set your child up for success.

Gold Coast Primary Health Network has put together helpful resources to support your child’s learning, wellbeing, and health throughout the school year.

Healthy eye checks

The words and pictures in books and on our devices aren’t meant to be blurry, so if your child is having trouble focusing, it’s probably time for a visit to your local optometrist. You’ll see the signs – squinting, a loss of attention and interest in the words and pictures on the page, missing important pieces of the story…

According to Optometry Australia, vision and learning go hand in hand with 80% of what children learn processed visually.

Whether it’s reading a book, following a whiteboard presentation or participating in sports, clear vision is critical and if your child’s eyesight isn’t up to scratch, they may struggle unnecessarily.

From engaging in classroom lessons to building confidence in social settings, good eyesight plays a key role, but the challenge is that children won’t always realise they’re struggling to see clearly because they don’t know any different.

Unlike adults, children often don’t realise their vision is blurry or distorted because they assume everyone sees the world as they do. This means that even if they’re struggling to read or focus in classroom settings, they might not mention it.

Optometry Australia says regular eye examinations ensure any issues are detected early before they affect your child’s schoolwork or confidence.

Book an appointment with your local optometrist today.

Back to school series

From tips on healthy lunches to advice on managing school stress, check out these handy articles by Gold Coast Primary Health Network to keep your family on track:

• Stay allergy aware
• Plan nutritious lunchboxes
• Manage back to school anxiety
• Ensure backpack safety