Glasses May Help Preschoolers Learn

Feb. 12, 2008 -- Got a preschool child? If your child needs glasses, it could affect his or her eye-hand coordination test scores.

A new study shows that preschoolers with poor vision improve their eye-hand coordination test scores within six weeks of starting to wear glasses.

The study included 70 preschool children (average age: 4.6). Eye tests showed that half of the kids had bad vision.

Those children scored lower on tests of eye-hand coordination than kids with normal vision, and got prescriptions for glasses.

Six weeks later, the kids took the eye-hand coordination test again. This time, eye-hand coordination test scores were similar across the board.

Identifying and correcting vision problems at an early age may help kids learn, note the researchers, who included Anne-Catherine Roch-Levecq, PhD, of the University of California, San Diego.

Of course, children's eye exams should begin long before preschool. Babies should get their first eye exam by the time they're 6 months old.

To learn more about children's vision screening, watch the WebMD video " Preschool Eye Exams: Get Kids Tested Early" or read the WebMD Blog " Are Preschool Eye Exams Necessary?"