5 things you didn’t know about children’s eye health (and how to catch every colorful moment of Fall during Children’s Vision Month) 

British Columbia, October 3, 2025

Get a fresh look at Fall!

October is Children’s Vision Month which aims to raise awareness about the importance of booking regular eye exams for children’s learning and development. This month at BCDO, we are shining a spotlight on myopia (nearsightedness) and the importance of regular eye exams. With Fall officially here, we wanted to share some facts you might not know about children’s eye health and what you can do to make sure you and your family see every moment clearly this Fall!

1. Learning is visual

For children to learn, they need good eyesight. A study from UCLA highlighted:

• 80% of classroom learning is visual
• Over 20% of students have a vision problem that can be identified by screening
• 80-90% of these defects can be corrected with glasses

For school-age children, several different visual skills must work together so they can see and understand clearly. If any of these visual skills are lacking or impaired, your child will need to work harder and may develop headaches or fatigue. The increased visual demands of schoolwork can often make greater demands on a child’s visual skills, pointing out a vision problem that was not apparent before school. 

2. Your child may not know they have a vision problem

Children may simple assume everyone sees the way they do. Common symptoms listed below, could signal eyesight problems in children:

• Frequent headaches
• Confusion with words and losing place while reading
• Difficulty concentrating
• Holding objects close to their face

For more information on how to spot if your child has vision related problems, read more here.

3. Myopia is on the rise

Myopia is a very common visual condition that affects nearly thirty per cent of the Canadian population. It normally starts in childhood and increases until the individual reaches their 20s. Research indicates that myopia rates have doubled in the past 20 years, with the condition now impacting children at increasingly younger ages.

Children with myopia will often have trouble seeing the whiteboard, the television or other distant objects. This Fall, this would include struggling to see and enjoy from a distance

• colorful leaves
• Fall decorations
• Halloween movies

For everything you need to know on Myopia– check out the articles below:

What is Myopia? 

Back to School, Back to Vision Care: Why a child’s eye exam matters more than ever

4. A full eye exam can check your child’s vision and eye health (more than a store sight test or a school vision screening)

All children ages 0-18 in BC are eligible for eye examinations, and the BC Medical Services Plan can help cover all or a portion of the exam cost depending on the clinic you visit. Full eye exams from a doctor of optometry can be used to:

• Diagnose, treat and help prevent diseases and disorders affecting your child’s eye health (such as myopia)
• Identify health conditions that are often first detected through an eye exam, 
• Refer your child to specialists and help manage post-eye-surgery health

If your child has had a sight or vision screening at school, know that not all eye tests are created equal, and that this should not replace a comprehensive eye exam. 

5.Children need more eye exams than adults do!

Doctors of Optometry recommend children having:

• their first eye exam at six months of age
• a complete optometric eye exam between six and nine months of age
• at least one eye exam between the ages of two and five and yearly after starting school

A Doctor of Optometry can complete an eye exam even if your child doesn’t know their ABC’s! They can use shapes, pictures and other child-friendly ways to evaluate vision and eye health.

Read more here on what happens during a child’s eye exam.

Our Find A Doctor tool makes sure booking an eye exam for your child is easy – book an appointment today by clicking here!

More resources for you and your family!

If you want to find out more on eye exams and diagnoses, eyewear solutions, prevention information and treatment options, our Eye Health Library contains a wide range of accessible information for all your family’s eye health needs.

• Eye Health and Eye exams for infants, preschoolers and school-aged children
• Eye Exams and Diagnoses 
• Prevention Information 
• Treatment Options 

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