Children with uncorrected vision conditions or eye health problems face many barriers in life ... academically ... socially ... and athletically. High-quality eye care can break down these barriers and help enable your children to reach their highest potential.

Vision doesn't just happen. A child's brain learns how to use eyes to see, just like it learns how to use legs to walk or a mouth to form words. The longer a vision problem goes undiagnosed and untreated, the more a child's brain learns to accommodate the vision problem.

That's why a comprehensive eye examination is so important for children. Early detection and treatment provide the very best opportunity to correct vision problems, so your child can learn to see clearly. Eighty percent of all learning is performed through vision. Make sure your child has the best possible tools to learn successfully.

By age 3, your child should have a thorough optometric eye examination to make sure your preschooler's vision is developing properly and there is no evidence of eye disease. Your doctor can prescribe treatment including glasses and/or vision therapy to correct a vision development problem.

Here are several tips to make your child's optometric examination a positive experience:

•\tMake an appointment early in the day. Allow about one hour.

•\tTalk about the examination in advance and encourage your child's questions.

•\tExplain the examination in your child's terms, comparing the E chart to a puzzle and the instruments to tiny flashlights.

Unless your doctor advises otherwise, your child's next eye examination should be at age 5. By comparing test results of the two examinations, your optometrist can tell how well your child's vision is developing for the next major step...into the school years.

As a parent, you should watch for signs that may indicate a vision development problem, including a short attention span for the child's age; difficulty with eye-hand-body coordination in ball play and bike riding; avoidance of coloring and puzzles and other detailed activities.