How to choose a children's optometrist - tips from a pediatric optometrist in Vancouver, BC

Children need to see the optometrist every year starting at six months of age.  That's because children are at risk of a number of vision and eye health problems that can cause lasting damage if not caught and treated early.  Vision problems can also negatively impact child development and grow into adult problems (like poor educational and vocational achievement, social problems and increased rates of incarceration).

I have a thriving pediatric optometry practice in Vancouver, BC.  Parents bring their kids in from all over Metro Vancouver and Surrey mostly because of word-of-mouth referrals.  But what about my children's optometry practice gets parents talking and recommending me to other parents?  Here are some of the things that I think an optometry clinic must have to provide excellent eye health care for children.

Optometrists that have a personality that kids love

Nothing beats an eye doctor that loves kids and has children of his or her own.  Not only do I have two very young children, but I love kids and have always devoted a significant part of my life to children.  A kid- friendly personality comes through when you meet an optometrist.  You can do a personality test on a prospective optometrist by having an eye exam before you bring in your  kids to get a sense of what the doctor is like. Are they warm, friendly and energetic?  Kids love that.  Or are they cold, distant, excessively analytical.  Kids are likely to be unimpressed with that.  If a doctor can engage a kid's attention, the visit is bound to be fun, informative and, most importantly, medically useful.

Demonstrated interest in children

As an example of this factor, in optometry school, one of my projects was to develop a children's book tittled Iris Goes to the Optometrist that parents could use to teach and prepare their kids for going to the optometrist.  You can find it on Google Books, just click here.  Optometrists that are the best with children have things like this in their professional or educational experience that show their love, concern for and interest in children.

A member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development

Ask if the optometrist is a member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development or visit http://www.covd.org/ to search for their name.  So many children's vision problems are developmental in nature and some optometrists who are focused on an adult population may not test for disorders like binocular dysfunction, convergence insufficiency, amblyopia, visual information processing.  These disorders can make if very difficult for kids to success in school and may affect their self esteem and other aspects of their lives.  An optometrist that is alive to these disorders and has a vision therapy practice (like I do) to treat them can make a huge difference in a child's life. 

Sometimes when these visual disorders go undetected, children may be misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, because the symptoms of the vision disorders are similar to ADHD symptoms.  Children should not be medicated for a condition that they don't have and you can avoid that risk by finding an appropriate children's optometrist.

Does the clinic have a children's play area?

One of the things parents love about our new Vancouver clinic space is that we've devoted a good chunk of space for a children's play area, packed with toys and books.  I know that cranky kids, bored in a waiting room, are a challenge to deal with because I deal with it when I take my kids to the doctor.  I put in my clinic what I wish my dentist and GP would put in their clinic.  Choose an optometrist that has done the same.

Does the clinic have a good selection of frames and eye-wear for children?

If a child needs glasses, its nice to be at a clinic that caters to that need.  At our Vision Source Vancouver optometry clinic, we have a very good selection of kids frames and eye-wear and I'm always surprised by the reaction of parents.  They are not used to having so much to choose from.  Kids are often neglected by optical dispensaries.  Choose an optometrist that has a good selection of kids frames.  Parents are busy enough.  It's very nice if you can reduce your running around and get what you need at one place.

By Dr. M.K. Randhawa

Kids' blindness: the leading cause is ...

I did some research on kids and blindness over the weekend and came up with some important information, which is especially relevant now as the warm weather brings kids outside to play sports.

Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in kids

Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in kids and most eye injuries among kids 11 to 14 occur while playing sports. While hockey is definitely a leading cause of eye injuries, other sports which are commonly thought of as safer and not as rough as hockey are also leading causes of eye injuries in children. Chief among these are baseball and basketball.

Baseball is a leading cause of eye injuries in children 14 and under. Research from the United Sates shows that Basketball is the leading cause of eye injuries among 15 to 24 year-olds.

The sports with the highest rates of eye injuries are baseball/softball, ice hockey, racquet sports, basketball, fencing, lacrosse, paintball and boxing .

Boys are more at risk than girls

Parents have to keep a closer eye on their boys than their girls. Boys 11-15 are five times more likely to end up in the emergency room with an eye injury than girls of the same age. Most of these injuries are sports related and related to projectiles including toys, guns, darts, sticks, stones and air guns.

What can you do to prevent the risk of eye injuries?

The first thing you can do is wear protective eye wear. The proper eye wear, made of the right materials, can prevent 90% of eye injuries. Some athletes will even play better with protective eye wear because they are less afraid of getting injured. I'll have more on protective eye wear in a subsequent post.

The most important thing you can do is to see your optometrist for a comprehensive eye health examination. This examination can reveal pre-existing conditions that can put a child (or any athlete, even an adult) at higher risk of blindness or vision loss in the event of an impact to the eye. When you know of the risk, you can take effective precautions to mitigate it and keep your eyes healthy.

As a reminder of how devastating and scary an eye injury can be, and how easy it is to prevent, read the post on Vancouver Canuck Manny Malholtra's eye injury. As I said in that earlier post, I believe that Manny Malholtra suffered a detached retina. An eye exam can determine if you are at higher risk of a detached retina. I'm not sure if Manny Malholtra had those risk factors, but if he did, he should have been wearing a visor.

Sources:

Harrison, A., & Telander, D.G. (2002). Eye Injuries in the youth athlete: a case-based approach. Sports Medicine, 31(1), 33-40. 2U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (2000). Sports and recreational eye injuries. Washington, DC: U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, American Academy of Ophthalmology, Eye Health and Public Information Task Force. (2004). Protective eyewear for young athletes. Ophthalmology, 111(3), 600-603.

Ducharme, J.F., & Tsiaras, W.G. (2000). Sports-related ocular injuries. Medicine & Health Rhode Island, 83(2), 45-51.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 2000.

American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness; American Academy of Ophthalmology, Eye Health and Public Information Task Force, 2004

Joint Policy Statement of American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness; American Academy of Ophthalmology, Eye Health and Public Information Task Force. (2004). Protective eyewear for young athletes. Ophthalmology, 111(3), 600-603.