CHILDREN's report: GLOSSARY OF TERMS FOR PARENTS/Carers

Vision as measured on a vision chart at far and near. This test gives an indicator of how clear your child can see the board in the distance or on a book/screen up close. 

Vision appears to be a simple measure, however, when our optometrists assess visual acuity, they also take into consideration the child's age, cognitive ability, attention, uncorrected prescription, binocular vision and eye health  to understand your child's visual acuity on the day of testing. 

 A long sighted person needs to actively refocus their eyes to see clearly at both distance and near. Looking at far range is easier than near range (eg books and ipad) for someone who is long sighted. Vision correction (spectacles) may be required to reduce headaches, eyestrain and near blur, especially as the degree of hyperopia increases. 

Important note: it is normal for school aged children to have a low degree of hyperopia and they may not require spectacle correction if binocular vision is normal and they have no symptoms. 

A short sighted person cannot see things in the distance clearly without vision correction (eg. when looking at the white board in class). Looking up close at near range may still look clear. 

When a child cannot see the board clearly, they may become distracted, attempt to get by in the classroom by squinting, asking their friends for help or moving closer to the front of the class. It is important that even low degrees of myopia is corrected appropriately, as myopia can progress quickly over months to years in some children. 

A range of myopia control (slowing) options are now available in both spectacles and contact lens vision correction. Children with myopia should be monitored every 6 months by their optometrist.

Important note:  A child who has been diagnosed with myopia but has no spectacle correction (ie. is walking around with blurred vision in their world) is considered to be at the highest risk of fast progression. 

Like hyperopia or myopia, astigmatism is just another category of eye 'prescription'. It occurs when the shape of the eye is not completely round (eg. the shape is more like a rugby ball instead of being perfectly round like a soccer ball), this can cause astigmatic defocus/ blur. 

Astigmatism can cause vision to be blurry at both far and near distances, depending on the degree. Vision correction (spectacles) may be required to reduce headaches, eyestrain and blur. 

People can be born with astigmatism, and others can develop it from excessive rubbing of their eyes. 

Important note: Eye rubbing is generally discouraged (especially those with astigmatism) - see Ocular Allergies below to read more. 

Ability to move your eyes smoothly with a target, or from one place to the next accurately. It can indicate how well your child can follow a moving ball during sport, or move their eyes from word to word when reading. Sometimes a child with under developed eye tracking skills may skip words/lines when reading.

Just like when you hold up a camera to take a photo, you need to focus the lens first. Children should have the ability to switch focus easily so that the eyes see targets clearly at far or near. The person should also be able to maintain the same focussing levels for an extended period of time with minimal discomfort.  

The ability to point two eyes at a given spot accurately in order to see single vision (and not doubled vision). Eg. How easily and accurately can your child switch from looking at the board and then down to the correct place on their page when copying. 

Clear and single vision is ideal, whilst seeing double vision is not. Large eye teaming issues can also affect depth perception (stereopsis), and when the eyes are not seen as pointing straight by the outside observer, it is now called an Eye Turn / Strabismus (see next).

When eye teaming (or coordination) has broken down significantly, it may seem obvious to you that your child's eye is turning in or out. This is called strabismus and depending on the degree, it may be occuring sometimes (eg. when tired) or all the time (constantly). When strabismus is first detected, it is important to have a thorough binocular vision assessment and dilated eye exam to understand how to best manage this condition and prevent it from getting worse. Recommendations may include on or more of the following: spectacle correction update, prism glasses, vision therapy and/or referral to an ophthalmologist. 

Did you know that not all people can see the full spectrum of colours?  About 1 in 8 of males and 1 in 200 of females may see colours differently to the rest of the population and this is usually to do with genetic differences inherited from the mother. Most people who have colour vision deficiency have red-green colour confusion, although the types and degree does vary.   

Most people with a colour vision deficiency learn to decipher colours in their own way and may just need extra guidance in their early years. Being diagnosed can help people to recognise where they might need to ask for assistance to avoid making mistakes or being misunderstood – this is particularly important for children in school and in certain vocations eg. art, photography. 

In the classroom, teachers can help accommodate children with colour vision deficiencies by avoiding similar foreground/background colours and only using high contrast text. Eg. using black text against a white/bright paper/background and using bright primary colours when colours need to be involved. 

To see what the world looks like from someone who has a colour vision deficiency, click this link. 

Ocular allergies (Allergic Conjunctivitis) presents with the signs and symptoms of excessive blinking,  itchy, red or watery eyes, and is not contagious. Often allergic conjunctivitis can be attributed to the following allergans: dust, hayfever, allergies to certain animals and certain foods. It is sometimes difficult to identify what the cause is and allergy testing may be required if this condition is persistent or severe. The most common causes of ocular allergies include dust (eg. mainly gets itchy indoors) and hayfever (eg. mainly gets itchy outdoors). 

Allergic conjunctivitis may only be mild and require no treatment if the child has no symptoms and is not rubbing their eyes. 

On the other hand, if they have ocular allergies and are complaining about itchy eyes, are seen to rub their eyes often and have watery or red eyes, a topical antihistamine eyedrop (Eg Zaditen non-preservative eye drop) or oral antihistamine may be recommended. The condition should be monitored closely by an optometrist if it hasn't quickly resolved with the above measures. Avoiding eye rubbing in the long term is important to prevent progression of astigmatism and a corneal condition called Keratoconus. 

As ocular allergies can be confused with other types of conjunctivitis,  it is a condition which is best first diagnosed by an optometrist or ophthalmologist. 

Dry eyes can present with the signs and symptoms of excessive blinking, complaints of 'sandy', uncomfortable, sore eyes, and sometimes it may be followed with 'watery eyes' (this is actually reflex tearing). In children, dry eyes may occur in those who are using digital screens excessively. It is also impacted by levels of hydration and how dry the air is. 

Significant dry eyes can cause ocular redness and also cause fluctuations in vision. 

To avoid dry eyes, it is recommended that children stay well hydrated, avoid using the fan/airconditioner excessively (and away from the face), have regular intake of fish oil / omega-3 in the diet, and have regular breaks from screens. 

If your child participated in a school clinic, our optometrists would have checked part of their eye health.  This test is limited to an assessment of the front of your child's eye, as well as optic nerve and macula (centre of the retina). Eye exams at school clinics do not include a dilated retinal exam of the peripheral retina. 

If your child participated in a home eye clinic visit by our visiting optometrist, a dilated eye exam would have been performed to reveal if there were any ocular abnormalities that may be causing visual issues for including cataracts and retinal issues.