Caring for vision and eye health are vital for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Vision screenings and eye exams help detect vision and eye issues. Early detection and diagnosis can help ensure the effective resolution of eye issues, which can help prevent vision loss. 

Vision screenings are simple tests that help detect any eyesight problems. Comprehensive eye exams are more detailed and check both vision and eye health. 

Vision Screenings

School-going children often get vision screenings in school. These screenings help determine whether the child has easy-to-detect eyesight issues that can adversely affect their performance in school. The simple test can determine if the child has a refractive error that requires correction. 

The screenings can detect myopia and severe amblyopia, but in most cases, they cannot detect underlying vision issues. The school-based screenings should never replace a comprehensive eye exam, regardless of the results. 

Comprehensive Eye Exams

An eye exam is a detailed assessment of the eyes and eye health. Using special clinical equipment and assessments, optometrists perform comprehensive eye exams. 

They help obtain a clear picture of the child's eye health and visual skills. During the exam, the specialist will assess different issues. These include lazy eye, visual acuity, eye turns, eye tracking, convergence, 3D vision, color vision, and ocular health. 

Vision Screening – Drawbacks 

The drawbacks of vision screenings are the poor testing environment and limited equipment. They are often conducted in rooms without proper lighting for testing. They often use limited and sometimes poorly maintained equipment. 

A simple Snellen chart cannot assess visual skills such as eye tracking, focusing, and eye teaming. The screening cannot ascertain the child's ocular health. In many cases, eye professionals do not perform the screenings. 

Benefits of Eye Exams

Eye professionals use comprehensive eye exams to detect and treat many eye issues. These include underlying health issues that can affect the individual's vision. The exam can detect problems, including:

• Refractive errors.
• Amblyopia (lazy eye).
• Strabismus (crossed eyes).
• Convergence insufficiency.
• Cataracts.
• Macular degeneration. 
• Diabetic retinopathy. 

Vision Screening vs. Comprehensive Eye Exams 

Comprehensive exams are more detailed and wider in scope than vision screenings and are conducted by eye specialists. Vision screenings are essential, but they do not tell the whole story. Children who have passed a school vision screening and have 20/20 vision can still lack vital visual skills. 

Eye professionals recommend that kids get annual eye exams before starting school. The specialist can rule out poor depth perception, focusing difficulties, convergence insufficiency, and visual processing problems.  

Annual eye exams help with the early detection and treatment of eye and vision issues. They can help detect details that vision screenings miss. They can ensure that the eyes are developing well while protecting the child's visual and ocular health. Screenings should not act as a substitute for eye exams.

For more on visual screening vs. comprehensive eye exams, visit Memorial Vision at our Houston, Texas office. Call (281) 496-1635 to schedule an appointment today.