AS the first school term is racing by, doctor of optometry, Juliet Menakaya says that parents need to remember that the first test your child should have in the school year should be an eye examination. 

“In fact, Optometry Australia’s 2020 Vision Index report recommends children have their first eye examination before they get to school,” says Dr Menakaya, an experienced optometrist with more than 15 years’ experience, who runs the Junic Eye Care practice at Coombs. 

“This is despite the fact that on average, parents believe that children don’t need to have their first eyesight check-up until they are aged between five and eight years old,” she says. 

Dr Menakaya says that early eye examinations can uncover issues that might not be apparent to either the child or their parents. 

“Importantly for little boys, a colour vision check to see if they are seeing red as grey can dramatically improve their vision and life,” she says. 

With one in five Australian children having vision problems, Dr Menakaya says that Junic Eye Care provides specialised eye tests to make sure that any vision problems are detected and any learning difficulties related to vision are corrected. 

She says they check for a range of issues such as binocular vision (how the eyes work together), eye turn, unequal vision in eyes as well as depth perception. 

“When issues are discovered, it can dramatically help how the child learns at school and has ramifications outside the classroom, such as how they play and participate in sport,” she says. 

Parents need to be aware of some of the signs that their child might have an eyesight problem such as squinting, tilting their head, holding books close to their faces or sitting too close to the TV. 

“Some kids’ eyes appear to wander and describe words as looking jumbled up or skipping words when they read,” says Dr Menakaya. 

“The onus is now on the parents to take action with their kid’s eye health. Optometry Australia’s recommendation is to get your kids eyes tested with an optometrist before  they start school and subsequently every two years (if everything is alright) as they progress through  primary, middle and secondary school.” 

Junic Eye Care, Junic Specialist Centre, Molonglo Health Hub, 110 Woodberry Avenue, Coombs. Visit juniceyecare.com.au or call 6152 8585.