Encouraging comprehensive eye exams for back to school

Leslie Scher, OD, FAAO, discussed how her practice prepares for the influx of pediatric patients scheduling comprehensive eye exams before the new school year. Comprehensive eye exams uniquely assess binocularity, which is the ability of both eyes to work together.

"If we don't catch things early, especially binocular vision issues, that can impact school and learning and your ability to read, your ability to see the board at school,” Scher stated.

Scher sees up to 20 patients per day across various age groups. Her staff's daily workflow is built around opening the door to myopia conversations early. They carefully review intake paperwork to assess for common myopia symptoms, such as blurry vision. Scher specializes in myopia care, and stated the importance of staff coordination to ensure patients receive all the necessary tests before their consultation. These pretests include axial length measurements, automated refraction, corneal topography, retinal photos, and optical coherence tomography.

Scher also noted that many of her staff members are highly myopic themselves, which helps them speak to patients and families with firsthand experience about the condition. Throughout the conversation, she emphasized that early detection is crucial to prevent the severe vision loss that can accompany myopia progression, including retinal detachment, myopic macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts.

“We really do need to think about it as a disease state, and something that, long term, could put you at risk for things that are completely preventable,” Scher stated.

Reviewing family history is also critical, as myopia is significantly influenced by genetics. Vision screenings, which may be provided at school or during primary care visits, do not offer the same in-depth assessment and care. An annual comprehensive eye exam can help catch ocular disease early, and prevent children from facing larger vision issues down the line.