Question
QUESTION: My 8-year-old son recently had his eyes examined and received the following prescription: +1, -0.25, 180; +1, -0.25, 005. Also, he was 20/40 in one eye and 20/30 in the other. What exactly does this indicate? Is this mild or moderate? Will he outgrow it? Could his eyesight cause him difficulty copying information from the chalkboard to his paper correctly? Thank you for any input.
ANSWER: Hi Kaye,
Your son is mildly farsighted, has an insignificant astigmatism, and may well outgrow it. However, his acuity of 20/40 does not jive with that prescription. A mildly farsighted child should still see 20/20 without glasses. Be that as it may, if he had a problem or a complaint with school work or reading, then do get the glasses and see if it helps. If he had no problem nor complaint, then no glasses would be recommended. Perhaps his young age or nervousness prevented him from reading the eyechart as well as we expect or there is is another explanation. He should be able to see 20/20 with or without some glasses, so make sure that was the case or have him examined again.
Regards,
Mitch Axelod, OD
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for your prompt response. The O.D. that examined him told me he was "moderately" farsighted. When I got home and researched his prescription, I thought he was "mild". The reason I had him examined is because he is not copying information correctly; however, I did not tell the doctor that because I did not want him to prescribe glasses just because we came. Now I'm really confused and wonder why he told my son to wear them all the time.
Answer
Hi again,
You should discuss all issues with the doctor. You son may be moderately hyperopic and the doctor decided to give him a fraction of the Rx. Modifying prescdriptions is common and sometimes indicated. So you can't assume the 1 Diopter lens is 100% of his true Rx. Sometimes we use drops to get at 100% of the Rx to help guide our decision. If you don't discuss everything with the doctor he doesn't have all the info.
On a more important note, it may not be a glasses or eye movement issue at all and may be a more central issue. Inter-sensory skills, like seeing/writing or hearing/writing are skills that can be tested and somewhat treated/improved. His school may have learning specialists or tests to help evaluate these skills. Talk to his teacher to see if the school offers these services or consider private testing.
Regards,
Mitch Axelrod, OD
