Back-to-School Vision Check: How Eye Exams Set the Stage for Academic Success
As students prepare to head back to school, there’s one essential item that often gets overlooked: a comprehensive eye exam. For many children, trouble reading the board or avoiding close-up tasks might seem like a passing phase or a sign of distraction. But what if the real issue is their eyesight, a problem that could be silently hindering their learning and growth? This is the question that drives Dr. Irina Yakubin OD, founder of OptiHealth Optometry in Santa Monica, to raise awareness about the importance of early eye exams.
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Sep 25, 2025
The Critical Link Between Vision and Learning
NATIONWIDE - SEPTEMBER 2025 - (USAnews.com) Did you know that more than 80 percent of a child’s learning is visual? From reading the classroom board to completing assignments, vision plays an essential role in how kids absorb and process information. Yet, despite its importance, many children enter school without ever having a comprehensive eye exam.
Vision issues can manifest in a variety of ways. Squinting, difficulty focusing, frequent headaches, or avoiding reading could be signs that a child is struggling with undiagnosed vision problems. Unfortunately, these issues are often mistaken for behavioral or learning challenges, causing children to be labeled as having attention or learning difficulties. But sometimes, the real culprit isn’t a child’s ability to learn—it’s their eyes.
Why Early Eye Exams Are Essential
The American Optometric Association recommends that children have their first eye exam between six and twelve months, another before kindergarten, and annual exams thereafter. These early checks are crucial because many vision problems—such as eye teaming difficulties, focusing problems, and early signs of eye disease—are not detected in routine school screenings.
Dr. Yakubin explains, “A simple vision screening at the pediatrician’s office doesn’t catch the full range of potential issues. Eye health is about more than just sharpness of vision—it’s about how the eyes work together, how they focus, and how they adapt to the demands of learning.”
At OptiHealth Optometry, Dr. Yakubin has seen firsthand the impact that timely eye care can have on a child’s academic performance. “When children can see clearly, they can engage fully with their lessons, their peers, and the world around them. It’s one of the most important steps in setting them up for success in school.”
Lifelong Consequences
Failure to correct vision early in a child’s life can result in permanently decreased best-corrected vision, or vision that one can obtain with the best glasses or contacts, in one or both eyes. This is because the brain learns how to “see” during childhood. If the brain is always receiving a blurry image due to uncorrected nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism during childhood, it won’t be able to properly process a crisp image if the child receives glasses later in life.
“In some cases, consistently wearing glasses can train the brain to see better, but in other cases, especially where one eye sees much better than the other, you end up with the worse eye seeing poorly even with glasses and contact lenses. Catching this early is the key to successfully ensuring that both eyes and the brain work together,” says Dr. Yakubin.
The effects of decreased vision will follow that child into adulthood and can limit career choice, or even impact their ability to drive.
Common Signs Your Child May Need an Eye Exam
As the school year kicks off, parents should be vigilant about watching for signs that their child may be experiencing vision issues. Common symptoms include:
Squinting or rubbing eyes frequently
Holding books or screens too close to their face
Complaints of headaches, eye strain, or blurred vision
Difficulty reading the board or seeing details from a distance
Covering one eye to focus
While noticing any of these signs in your child means that it’s time to schedule a comprehensive eye exam, an annual examination is recommended for all school-aged children- even if the child is not showing any signs or symptoms.
The Digital Age: Eye Care Beyond the Classroom
It’s not just children who are at risk. In today’s digital age, screen time has dramatically increased, leading to a rise in digital eye strain among both students and adults. Symptoms of digital eye strain include stinging, burning, or gritty eyes, which can disrupt focus and comfort. With more students using screens for homework and assignments, addressing this issue has become an important part of Dr. Yakubin’s practice.
Dr. Yakubin emphasizes, “The rise in digital use has made it even more important for families to be proactive about eye care. Kids spend more time on screens than ever before, which can lead to issues like dry eye syndrome and digital eye strain. That’s why eye exams are essential—not just for diagnosing vision problems but for managing the health of their eyes in a screen-heavy world.”
Creating a Vision for Success
At OptiHealth Optometry, Dr. Yakubin’s mission goes beyond just providing prescriptions. Every exam is an opportunity to educate families about the long-term health of their eyes. “When children and their parents understand how the eyes work and how to take care of them, it empowers them to make better decisions,” she says.
As a writer and co-producer of eye care-related platforms, Dr. Yakubin also extends her expertise beyond her practice, helping to raise awareness about the critical role of eye health in a child’s overall development.
Make Eye Health a Back-to-School Priority
As you prepare your child for the upcoming school year, be sure to add an eye exam to the checklist. Early detection of vision issues can make a significant difference in a child’s academic success and overall well-being. Whether it's an initial exam before kindergarten, help with digital eye strain, or ongoing vision care, OptiHealth Optometry is here to guide families in setting their children up for a bright future.
📍 Learn more or schedule an appointment today at OptiHealth Optometry by calling (310) 917-4474.
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