Ask Dr. Klute | What is the difference between an eye exam and a vision screening?
What is the difference between an eye exam and a vision screening?
Great question!
Many people often get confused between the two. But that’s okay, that’s why we are here to help.
Vision screenings are quick assessments done at your child’s pediatrician visit or at school. A comprehensive eye exam is performed by an eye professional at an eye care practice.
What’s the difference?
A vision screening often only tests one thing, visual acuity, or the ability to see 20/20.
An eye exam tests visual acuity AND many other aspects of your child’s vision. These include determining the prescription for glasses, binocular vision (alignment of eyes), eye movement testing, focusing ability, depth perception, color perception, the health of the surface of the eyelids, the health of the front surface of the eye, and the health of the inside of the eye to rule out sight threatening diseases. That’s a lot!
But it is all to ensure that your child is seeing well to learn, develop normally, and have healthy eyes for life. So don’t rest on having just a screening done for your child. In fact, one recent study found that 75% of children with a vision problem were not found on screenings. Don’t let that be your child! Schedule online today at www.GoodLifeEyecare.com.