Optometrists push for eye exams for school students

Optometrists and the Georgia Association of Educators are urging parents to add a vision check for their children to their back-to-school lists.

"You can buy your child all of the best back to school supplies in the world, but if they're having trouble seeing in the classroom, you're not giving them access to the most important tool they need to succeed," said Dr. Stuart Tasman, president of the Georgia Optometric Association. "As a practicing optometrist and parent, I strongly encourage parents of school-age children to schedule a comprehensive eye exam for their child because it can easily detect problems like astigmatism, eye coordination and moderate amounts of farsightedness, conditions that can prevent optimal learning."

One quarter of children have an undetected vision problem, according to a student from the Vision Council of America.