Failed Vision Screen: Next Steps

You may be surprised and upset if your child comes home from school or a pre-kindergarten exam with a “failed” vision screen result. But lots of kids develop vision problems. Eyes continue to develop throughout childhood, and vision screenings reveal issues in one in four children up to age 15.

Fortunately, regular screens can catch problems before they affect your child’s learning and development. Almost all early-stage vision problems are easy to correct.

When a failed vision screen shows that your child has trouble focusing, a lazy eye or eyes that don’t align, your next step is to schedule a comprehensive exam with an eye doctor or other specialist in eye assessment.

A comprehensive exam is more thorough than a screening. Your child will receive eye drops to dilate the pupils. The doctor will carefully examine both eyes to determine the problem. Nearsightedness, the most common vision issue in kids, is easily corrected with glasses. Astigmatism is another common problem corrected with eyeglasses.