Throughout your life, you've probably seen a lot of myths presented as facts. It's easy to start believing them, especially if you've heard them all your life. However, when it comes to the health and care of your child's eyes, you need to distinguish fact from fiction. Check out these five common myths regarding eye health and care for children.

Myth #1: A Child Who Passes a School Vision Screening Doesn't Need an Eye Exam

Many parents may rely on routine school vision screenings to judge their child's vision. However, these vision screenings simply aren't enough. These screenings are often performed by people without the proper training using inadequate equipment. Even using the wrong room lighting can drastically skew results. These screenings usually only test how well your child sees at a distance, but many other factors affect your child's vision, such as how well they see up close and whether or not their eyes work together. So even if your child passes the screening, they may have some vision impairment.

Myth #2: Vision Therapy Can Correct Some Learning Disabilities  

If your child is nearsighted and can't see the board at school well, that isn't a learning disability. In this instance, glasses alone should fix the problem. A learning disability is a problem with one or more psychological processes, and it can't be corrected with glasses alone. Yes, if your child has a learning disability and vision impairment, glasses can help because it eliminates one hurdle, but it isn't the only solution. Basically, if the problem is a learning-related vision problem, vision therapy can help, but if it is a genuine learning disability, more work is needed.

Myth #3: Lazy Eye Is Common and Not Serious

This myth is partially true. Lazy eye is the most common eye visual impairment for children. However, that doesn't mean it isn't a serious matter. Lazy eye isn't just a physical abnormality. One of your child's eyes isn't working as well as it should. When this is left untreated, the eye gets worse and worse. The brain begins to ignore the lazy eye because it can't comprehend the two conflicting images. Eventually, your child may even become blind in the weak eye. Once that happens, visions is lost forever. Lazy eye must be treated aggressively and early in life to prevent irreversible problems.

Myth #4: If Your Child Wears Glasses too Much, Their Vision Gets Worse

This is a common misconception, and it is completely false. Your child may need a stronger prescription routinely but that is usually related to genetics, and it will happen whether your child wears their glasses or not. If your child wears glasses for crossed eyes or lazy eye, it's imperative that you make your child wear their glasses as much as the doctor prescribes because these are designed to actually correct a problem with the eyes.

Myth #5: Kids Can't Wear Contacts

A lot of people think contacts are only for late teens and adults, but contact lenses don't have an age limit. Whether or not your child should wear contacts depends on your child and if they can handle the responsibility of contacts. For example, they clean and care for them, and they don't constantly rub their eyes. If you do get contacts for your child, they have many advantages. For starters, contacts have been shown to slow the progression of nearsightedness. Contacts are even great for sports and won't move during running or play.

Understanding the facts behind your child's eye health and care is the first step in ensuring they have healthy eyes for life. For more information about eye health or glasses for children, contact and optometrist in your area today or visit websites like http://allabouteyes.com.