Importance of Eye Health for Kids at Pearle Vision

I’ll never forget receiving a call from Alex’s 1st grade teacher back in 2013 letting me know that she thinks I should get Alex’s eyes examined. She had noticed him squinting at the chalkboard repeatedly, so she asked the nurse at school to do an eye exam on him. Unfortunately for Alex, he failed it. I felt so bad because I had know idea that Alex had vision trouble. He never complained about not seeing things. He never mentioned that things appeared blurry to him. In all honesty, Alex’s world was normal to him. Everything he saw, he thought was what everyone else saw, too. Since my husband and I don’t have vision problems, we just never thought that one of our kid’s had any issues. It truly never occurred to us. I tear up every single time I tell this story, but I’ll never forget Alex trying on glasses with his prescription in them for the very first time 3 1/2 years ago. He looked at me and said, “So this is what everything is supposed to look like.” In true Alex style, he laughed as he said it, but it touched my heart to the core.

I’ve always made it my mission to let other moms and dads know about the importance of a comprehensive eye exam for children ever since my experience with Alex. There’s an unbelievable stat that I want to share with you that really opened my eyes, 90% of children under the age of 6 who should be wearing prescription glasses are not.

Crazy, right?

My Alex fell right into this category. Don’t let that happen with your child. Make sure you take the time to make an appointment and get one done on your child(ren). Pearle Vision is an incredible place to take your child (and your whole family) for a comprehensive eye exam. Believe me, you need something much more than just covering one eye and reciting letters 10-12 feet away. At Pearle Vision a comprehensive eye exam is taken very seriously. The vision test is extremely thorough and the doctors take the time to look at your eye health and indicators in your eyes that reveal information about your overall eye health. One can expect things like: pupil dilation, a visual acuity test (sharpness of vision), colorblind test, eye cover test, and a glaucoma test. The exam also includes tests to get you or your family member the perfect prescription for glasses or contacts, should you need them. We set out for Alex’s eye exam at the Pearle Vision location in Mansfield, MA.

We had the awesome opportunity to meet with Dr. Renee Gomez who walked us through the entire eye exam before it started and answered my questions before anything began. Since Alex’s vision is something we constantly keep up on, he needs to go for an eye exam routinely to make sure his prescription is still working properly.

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Alex has been BEGGING me for contacts for the last year. He’s a big athlete and he’s not able to wear his glasses in the pool or when he’s playing catcher during baseball. This causes tremendous sight issues for Alex and he’s been making the argument with us that if he had contacts, it wouldn’t be that much of an issue. This was something I was anxious to chat with Dr. Gomez about at Pearle Vision. Not to mention he broke his glasses 3 weeks ago playing basketball with his buddies! Since Alex is used to eye exams, he has the routine down.

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He actually enjoys it and has fun with the process. Dr. Gomez was incredible, she laughed with Alex and really made him feel comfortable. She’s been the first doctor to ever sit down and explain to Alex what exactly is going on with his eyes. As far as Alex has always been concerned, he just needs glasses. Dr. Gomez told Alex on this trip WHY he needs them.

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Alex is farsighted, which means he can see objects at a distance more clearly than those near at hand. Alex also has astigmatism. Essentially astigmatism is defined as a condition of the eye where rays of light from a single point do not focus upon on a single point on the retina.

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She also let us know that Alex’s eyes are shaped like footballs! He laughed at this because he’s a GIGANTIC football fan! I loved that Dr. Gomez really took the time to share with Alex in terms he could understand what was going on with his eyes. It made Alex feel comfortable and at ease with her. When it comes to any kind of exam, you always want your patients to feel relaxed. Since Alex’s prescription was perfect, we didn’t need to worry about getting new lens for him, but we took some time to check out some new frames! He LOVES the darker pairs, that’s his comfort zone. I loved how they looked on his face!

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And!! We did have the contact conversation. Dr. Gomez assured me that kids Alex’s age CAN do contacts, they just need to be very responsible with them. She showed Alex that she wears them, too. We went ahead and ordered a trial pair for Alex which will arrive in one week. We will head back to Pearle Vision and have them fit Alex and see how they feel. From there, we will start on that journey, too! Alex will always have to wear glasses, but having contacts as an option is a wonderful thing for him. I knew how happy he was when Dr. Gomez gave him the thumbs up on them! We just had a tremendous experience at Pearle Vision.

Take the time to find a location near you and schedule an eye exam for your child and your family. It’s important to stay on top of your eye health.

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Check out Pearle Vision on Facebook and YouTube! GIVEAWAY/SWEEPS: Tell me about your child’s vision needs. I’d love to hear if you have a similar story. Or have you never had one done? Love for you to share! Each comment will automatically be entered to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.

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About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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72 Comments

  1. 7.26.16
    Robin Masshole mommy said:

    Both of my kids wear glasses. Yearly checkups are so important!

  2. 7.26.16
    Jeanette said:

    I need to get my little man in! He needs to get his eyes checked. I have been a little lacks on it with him hoping that his site just stays good (I know stupid LOL). I will be taking before school starts this year.

  3. 7.26.16
    Shauna said:

    This could not have come at a better time. Just the other day I was noticing how close my Little Miss is holding her book while reading. I kind of feel like I need to get her eyes checked.

  4. 7.26.16
    Kait said:

    That is a crazy statistic! My son will be 6 in October – maybe I need to get my son to the eye doctor sooner than I thought!!

  5. 7.26.16
    Mami2jcn said:

    My kids haven’t had eye exams yet at an eye doctor’s office, but I imagine they’ll need to within the next couple of years.

  6. 7.26.16
    Elena said:

    My child doesn’t need a vision correction.

  7. 7.26.16
    Mami2jcn said:

    tweet–https://twitter.com/mami2jcn/status/758046623083749376

  8. 7.26.16
    heather said:

    I don’t have any kids but some of the children in our extended family wear glasses and have regular eye exams it is so important to stay one it.

  9. 7.26.16
    Julie Wood said:

    My son and daughter do not need eyeglasses at this time. I will be having their eyes checked next month. They have not had any problems with their eyes.

  10. 7.26.16
    Julie Wood said:

    tweet-https://twitter.com/JewelWood/status/758050965886906369

  11. 7.26.16
    Sarah said:

    My oldest son wears glasses. It would be fun if he had the contact option!

  12. 7.26.16
    Jessica To said:

    I had my son’s eyes checked last year when he was having headaches but they said his vision was fine.

  13. 7.26.16
    Val said:

    I am so glad that you shared this, eye care is important and I think many parents don’t think of it until the school sends home a letter citing their kid needs to see someone. Glad you are opening the door to the subject and sharing your story too!

  14. 7.26.16
    Tara said:

    Having kids tested young is very important. The statistic you shared is staggering. It’s astonishing how many children don’t have glasses who need them.

  15. 7.26.16
    Stacie said:

    I wear glasses as well as both of my daughters. Taking care of their eyes is very important to me.

  16. 7.26.16
    Elizabeth Lampman said:

    It is so important to get your family’s eyes checked. Sometimes you do not realize how bad your sight is until you get your glasses. We go every year for exams.

  17. 7.26.16
    Cheryl B said:

    My Granddaughter just had a vision check, so far perfect vision.

  18. 7.26.16
    Kelly D said:

    My daughter doesn’t need glasses, and my son will need them soon. I started wearing contacts at age 15 and I recently switched back to glasses.

  19. 7.26.16

    I love visiting the eye doctor’s! I think it’s important for kids to get their annual as well – my cousin got glasses at such a young age but her parents took her to the eye doctor right away so they caught the problem in no time.

  20. 7.26.16
    Rosa Osorio said:

    I remember when my son was 6 and he was having some difficulty looking at the blackboard and complaining of headache. I took him to the eye doctor and he has been wearing glasses since then for his myopia.

  21. 7.26.16
    Alicia said:

    That is such a crazy statistic! I never realized so many children who needed glasses don’t have them. I guess I rely a little too much on the school vision test and should probably be watching out for signs my kids vision is ok or they need glasses.

  22. 7.26.16
    Maria said:

    Early vision care is very important. Because of early check-ups of my son’s vision, we were able to detect his early stages of astigmatism & get his vision under control right away with corrective lenses.

  23. 7.26.16
    Ashley said:

    I need to get my little girl an apt to have her eyes checked. Eye health is so important!

  24. 7.26.16

    Vision care is an important part of keeping our children safe and healthy. the eye doctor is just as important to see each year as the general pediatrician.

  25. 7.27.16
    Toni said:

    I actually need to make an appointment for my kids. My daughter used to wear glasses but it’s been a long time so we need to get back to the eye doctor.

  26. 7.27.16

    Eye health is very important for kids. I get my girls checked every year and with all these new style frames kids are looking stylish these days!

  27. 7.27.16
    Steve Weber said:

    I don’t have any kids but I wear glasses and I’m due for some new ones

    groogruxking40 @ gmail dot com

  28. 7.27.16

    Wearing glasses is so much cooler than it used to be! They used to test our eyes in school if you can believe it! I am amazed by the fact of 90% of children. WOW.

  29. 7.29.16
    Jessie C. said:

    My kids do not need eyeglasses yet, they have their vision checked regularly.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

  30. 7.29.16
    Jessie C. said:

    tweet-https://twitter.com/tcarolinep/status/759151025546678272

  31. 7.30.16
    Jeffrey said:

    Both my boys haven’t had vision problems and we do get them checked about once a year. Both my wife and I realize the importance of vision and having it tested.

  32. 7.31.16
    Margaret Smith said:

    Only our youngest son wears glasses. However, we make sure all our kids gets yearly exams. Thanks so much.

  33. 7.31.16
    Margaret Smith said:
  34. 7.31.16
    donna said:

    two of my children wear glasses and contacts

  35. 7.31.16
    maria cantu said:

    All three of my kids wear glasses.

  36. 8.1.16
    Susan Smith said:

    My daughters teacher noticed she was having trouble reading the board so we took her to the eye Dr and she needed glasses. She has yearly check ups.

  37. 8.2.16
    Natalie said:

    My niece wears glasses and gets her eyes checked every 1-2 years. She mainly needs them for reading and seeing the white board at school. My mom and brother also grew up wearing glasses.

  38. 8.2.16
    natasha lamoreux said:

    I took my girls last week for exams and we are waiting on new frames. My daughter was a bit bummed that she needs glasses to be able to drive.

  39. 8.3.16
    Amy Tong said:

    Haven’t take the kids to the eye exams. Thanks for sharing your experience and definitely good to check it out before school starts again!

    amy [at] uTry [dot] it

  40. 8.3.16
    Amy Tong said:
  41. 8.4.16
    Judith V said:

    2 daughters wear glasses, everyone else’s vision is good

  42. 8.4.16
    Kristen said:

    I can’t even remember what year I first needed lenses, but I know it was before high school. I figured it out myself when I realized other people could read things up on a wall that I couldn’t.

  43. 8.7.16
    Linda said:

    My daughter wears glasses.

  44. 8.8.16
    Robin said:

    Our whole family needs to have our vision checked, so this was a good reminder!

  45. 8.9.16
    Rebecca said:

    My kids wear glasses. We have a nice optometrist that we go to yearly.

  46. 8.10.16
    Genie said:

    lucky..none of mine need glasses.

  47. 8.10.16
    Lee said:

    my kids watch toi much video…will need glasses

  48. 8.10.16
    Lee said:
  49. 8.10.16
    Genie said:

    everyone’s got 20/20 .. so far.

  50. 8.11.16
    Lisa Brown said:

    My son’s vision is good, no need for any glasses.
    jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

  51. 8.11.16
    Lisa Brown said:

    tweet-https://twitter.com/LuLu_Brown24/status/763685421511356416
    jslbrown2009 at aol dot com

  52. 8.11.16
    Denise L said:

    My kids both have good vision, but it’s time for them to have a checkup. Thanks for the reminder!

  53. 8.13.16
    Elizabeth pergande said:

    Kids don’t need glasses yet but I do! =) Truckredford(at)Gmail(dot)com

Comments are closed.