My child failed a HPB eye screening: What now?

Health Promotion Board (HPB) organizes eye screenings for children in kindergartens and primary schools. The eye screenings check for your child’s visual acuity to see how well they can see using a vision chart. The child is then graded on how small they can see and if they fail, parents such as yourself will receive a letter from HPB to get a more thorough eye exam for your child.

If your child failed their school eye screening, don’t panic. Although it can be concerning, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, screenings are not always accurate. They can sometimes miss problems or overestimate them. Second, even if there is a problem, it doesn’t mean your child will need glasses. Many children’s eyesight improves on its own as they grow older.

What should I do now?

HPB requires parents to fill up a form and update them on the status of your child’s eye. You can book an appointment with them or visit your nearest eye care professional to have your child tested. Do take note that for children below 8 years old will need to be tested by an Optometrist. After the eye examination, the eye care professional will fill up the form and you can submit to HPB accordingly.

What are the common vision problems in children?

The most common vision problems for children are refractive errors such as myopia (short-sightedness), astigmatism and hyperopia (long-sightedness) which happens when light rays do not focus correctly on the retina due to the shape of the eyeball.

Other common problems include amblyopia (lazy eye) which refers to a condition when the connections between the eye and the brain are not functionally properly resulting in poor vision that cannot be corrected with lenses. Lastly, strabismus (crossed eye) which is a condition when there is a misalignment of the eye caused by muscles and/or lazy eye.

Does it mean my child is required to wear glasses?

Depending on the results of the eye examination, if the prescription of your child affects his vision in school, we highly recommend that your child gets the glasses prescribed.

What should I look out for in the future?

Children may not complain about vision problems until their vision becomes too poor to view the whiteboard in classrooms or watching television. Parents will have to keep an eye out to look out for signs of vision problems for their kids. Here are some of the signs that parents should monitor for:

• Squinting of their eyes when looking at a distance
• Constantly turning/tilting of their head (do note down which side they turn/tilt to)
• Constant rubbing of their eyes
• Going closer to the television
• One eye turns away when they are in focus/not focusing

These are some of the most common signs of vision problems and if you noticed them, do bring them to your eye care professional to have them examined. 

Here at Royalight Optometrist, we provide eye examinations for your little ones as early as 6 months old!