We decided to answer a few common questions about eye health this month.

My child passed the vision screening at school, but I am still concerned that they are not seeing well. What are some signs that they aren’t seeing well?

With estimates that up to 38 percent of children under the age of 8 need glasses and less than 10 percent of children this age wear them, it’s understandable that parents are concerned. We all remember the vision and hearing screening days in elementary school, moving through lines in the gymnasium or cafeteria. As parents, we assume that if our children pass the screenings that all is well with their eyesight. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and each year, there are children who sail through screenings with flying colors and return to the classroom, only to struggle seeing clearly.

It’s difficult for children to gauge that they aren’t seeing as well as they could. Often, poor vision is indicated by other signs, such as struggling in schoolwork, squinting, rubbing the eyes, or holding one closed when trying to focus on something, either up close or while watching television or looking at the board at school. Visual acuity slowly decreases, so children don’t awaken with an, “I can’t see!” moment.

If you are concerned about your child’s eyesight, please bring them in to Utah Valley Eye. We are a full-service eyecare provider and can help with eyeglasses or contact lens exams and fittings, eyelid surgery and are a leading provider for LASIK surgery in Provo.

We want to help a vision-oriented charitable cause, but don’t know of a local one. Is there one that you know of?

There is such a need for vision help around the world, so most of the organizations that offer vision aid focus on third world countries or the extremely needy. In fact, right here in Utah Valley, Charity Vision (https://www.charityvision.net/) has been a leader in providing eyecare, surgical as well as optical, along with other medical concerns such as cleft lip and palate and club feet for decades. If you are interested in learning more, please visit their website and consider giving back through its channels.

Utah Valley Eye is proud to be a leading provider of LASIK in Orem and Provo and is not affiliated with Charity Vision. We simply are sharing information with you.