When my oldest was quite a bit younger, she complained of not being able to see for far longer than I care to admit! By the time I clued in that she really did need glasses, she was absolutely blown away with her vision and the things she could now clearly see …like leaves on trees, street signs, and lights at night that didn’t have massive glowy tails.
Based on my experience and to save you from the dreaded mom-guilt, I really think it’s my duty to suggest you:
TAKE YOUR CHILD TO GET THEIR VISION CHECKED!
Besides, it’s covered by our provincial Health Care program AND, if your child should need glasses, Atlantic Superstore has a “Kids See Free” program where children aged 4-10 with a current prescription (up to 90 days old), can receive any frame valued up to $49 with single vision, polycarbonate ‘kids safe’ lenses for ABSOLUTELY FREE once per year!
I took a peek at all of the frames and about two thirds of the ones displayed (quite a few choices) were included in the deal! (If you wish to upgrade the frame or add any coatings to the lenses, all you do is pay the difference in price!)
I brought my friends Jack, Noah and Shannon to the Optical Department at the Atlantic Superstore in Sackville, so we could check out how the program works.
The boys had a blast learning about eye care and checking out the equipment. Shannon was a little worried at first because he “only knew how to read in French” and wasn’t sure they’d be able to test his vision…but we quickly put that fear to rest and he LOVED checking out the various machines!
Especially this one, where they put a light in his eye and he got to watch a hot air balloon move around on the screen!
Jack enjoyed trying on all of the sun glasses that were in stock.
And was pretty pleased to hear he had 20/20 vision…knowing that it will help him with getting shutouts as he is the goalie on his soccer team.
And Noah…well…he was just adorable and tried on his favourite glasses.
Then “dabbed”…as all boys seem to do these days!
At the end of the appointment we can happily say the boys have 60/60 vision! (20/20 x 3 = 60/60, right?!) And, all three had a pretty enjoyable visit.
The Kids See Free program is available at Loblaw grocery stores with Optical Departments. Depending on where you live, participating stores include Atlantic Superstore, Real Canadian Superstore, Loblaws, Zehrs, Fortinos, Independent and Dominion stores in Newfoundland. The program runs year-round, so you can get your child’s eyes checked at a time that works best for you.
While I missed EVERY SIGN when my daughter was younger, here are the things you should keep your eye on to determine if your child is having vision problems.
- Having difficulty reading
- Sitting close to the TV or holding a book too close
- Frequent eye rubbing
- Sensitivity to light or excessive tearing
- Closing one eye to read or watch TV
- Avoiding using a computer because it hurts their eyes
- Having trouble seeing the chalkboard
- A sudden drop in grades
AND, let me add from my mom-guilt archives:
- Telling you repeatedly they can’t see
- Getting hit by the ball multiple times during volleyball games because they didn’t know where it was coming from on the other side of the court
- Taking it upon themselves to drop into the vision clinic on their walk home from school to book an eye appointment even though their mother didn’t believe them
- Getting a call from the eye clinic to come down because the doctor said they need glasses so they’re picking out pretty frames
- Having the eye doctor look at you like an unfit parent when he overhears you tell your kid to “pick out inexpensive glasses because you’re only going to need them when you go to the movies” and then having the doctor approach you and say “you know she can’t see anything, right?”
Yeah…so:
TAKE YOUR CHILD TO GET THEIR VISION CHECKED!
It took us about an hour…the kids had fun, our minds were set at ease and their vision won’t need to be checked again for another year (as it’s important to have their eyesight checked on a regular basis).
A HUGE thanks to my friend Karen, for allowing me to spend a little time with her lovely boys. And an even bigger thanks to Jack, Shannon and Noah, for being absolutely perfect sports while I attended their eye appointments AND for allowing me to take so many pictures!!
Also, a public apology to my daughter…for missing every sign and not believing she couldn’t see. I made up for it through the years, by always allowing her to spend a bit of extra money on the frames she really wanted!
Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post. As always, opinions are my own.