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# Sometimes kids don’t know they’re Eyes on the prize
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/sometimes-kids-dont-know-theyre-eyes-on-the-prize/
- Published: 2008-08-21T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T20:46:06.000Z
- Author: Melody Hanatani
- Tags: Education, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Experts argue that vision is an important component of learning*

WILSHIRE BOULEVARD It took a baseball hit to the eye to realize a nearsighted problem.

That’s what happened to Hillary Siegal’s 13-year-old son several years ago when he was struck straight in the eye and a visit to the doctor revealed a vision impairment.

The diagnosis of nearsightedness suddenly brought clarity to a number of remarks made by school teachers the preceding months, commenting that Siegal’s son was squinting. straining (their eyes) because when they’re younger, they don’t understand,” Siegal said Wednesday afternoon while hanging out in Douglas Park.

As students begin their back-to-school preparations, buying new backpacks and clothing, there’s another thing that parents might want to add to the checklist, one that could determine whether their child will ace a course or squint their way to a bad grade.

Experts — both in the educational and ophthalmology fields — argue that vision is an important component of the learning experience, stressing that children should receive eye examinations yearly.

“From the very beginning of school to the age of 12, about 80 percent of learning is done by vision and of course vision is very important to learning,” Sarah Ito, a doctor at Visionworks Optometry on Lincoln Boulevard, said.

A recent study by the University of California San Diego found that poor vision could have an impact on learning ability, testing 70 preschoolers between the ages of 3-5, half of whom had normal eye sight and the other half with ametropia, a condition that leads to problems including astigmatism.

All of the participants took two standardized tests before they were prescribed lenses, the results showing that the visually-impaired children comparatively scoring less on both exams. The children with ametropia were given corrective lenses and tested again six weeks later, showing dramatic improvement in one of the exams.

While parents should take their children to an optometrist on a regular basis, many confine the check-ups to simple eye screenings, which Ito said does not detect deeper problems, such as farsightedness.

“Some think that if a child can see a TV or look around and not be clumsy, they’re fine,”Ito said.“A lot of times children can see something but don’t perceive it correctly.

“A lot of children have a hard time learning something, but it’s not because they’re not intelligent or not trying, it’s because they’re putting so much effort into focusing.”

The late summer is often a busy time of year for Visionworks, parents bringing their children in for eye examinations to ready for the school year. Ito said many of the patients are children who already wear prescription lenses.

Some parents agreed that it’s important to make a regular visit to the eye doctor, acknowledging the impact it has in the classroom.

Kimberly Hartog takes her 6-and 10-year-old daughters for eye exams every summer before school as part of their regular check-ups.

“Bad vision can have a bad effect on kids in school, like if they’re straining to read, which is why it is absolutely important to get them checked,” Hartog said.

Others, like Avishag Littman, who has two young children, believe that while eye exams are necessary, it doesn’t need to take place annually.

“I would definitely get my kids’ eyes routinely checked if they told me something was wrong,” she said. “Even then I would probably check them first before sending them to a doctor.”

The California Department of Education mandates that every student in the state’s public schools receive mandatory routine eye exams upon their entry to school and every three years thereafter.

Linda Davis-Alldritt, the school nurse consultant for the department, said that tests are necessary later in the student’s educational career because vision tends to gradually decline over time.

First-grade students in the Santa Monica- Malibu Unified School District are checked by a visiting ophthalmologist from the Jules Stein Institute’s Mobile Eye Clinic, writing prescriptions if necessary. The Assistance League of Santa Monica also provides vouchers that are good for one visit to an optician and a pair of glasses.

“We have it pretty well covered in terms of vision,” Jane Jeffries, the coordinating nurse for the district, said.

The district also tests for near and farsighted vision.

Jeffries said that good vision is particularly critical in the early years when students are learning to read.

“They really need to be able to see,” she said.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 21, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/082108.pdf?ref=smdp.com)