Questions for Your Eye Doctor
Adapted from: Idaho Project for Children and Youth with Deaf-Blindness
- What is my child's distance acuity for each eye individually and both eyes together?
- What is my child's near vision acuity of each eye individually and both eyes together?
- How large of an area can my child see left-to-right and top-to-bottom? (Visual field)
- Can my child see better in the central field or on the sides? (Peripheral field)
- What, if any, medical eye condition does my child have?
- What are the causes of this medical eye condition?
- Is this a progressive/degenerative condition?
- If the condition is a progressive/degenerative loss, what further visual problems do you anticipate my child having?
- If the condition is a progressive/degenerative loss, how rapidly should one expect changes to occur?
- What symptoms might I observe that indicate a change in my child's visual functioning?
- How well does my child do at tracking a light or object?
- How well does my child do fixating on a light or object?
- Do my child's eyes work together well? (Convergence behavior)
- Can my child's eye condition be corrected? If so, how: glasses, surgery, etc.
- Will my child ever need eye surgery for his/her eye condition?
- If "yes": a) what type of surgery?, b) why do you think surgery is necessary?, and c) when (at what age) should this surgery be performed?
- What will my child's distance acuity be with prescriptive lenses (glasses)?
- What does my child’s distance acuity actually mean in terms of usable vision?
- What will my child's near vision acuity be with prescriptive lenses (glasses)?
- What does my child’s near vision acuity actually mean in terms of usable vision?
- What size print can my child distinguish or read, and at what distances?
- How often should my child wear his/her prescriptive lenses? At all times? For distance? Work only? For close work only?
- What should we expect in terms of daily functioning (e.g., light sensitivity, eye strain, fatigue, headaches, squinting, color blindness, lack of depth perception)?
- What kind of lighting is best for my child (e.g., low, average, above-average intensity)?
- If special lighting is needed, how should the lighting be positioned (overhead, at back, etc.)?
- What restrictions, if any, should be placed on my child's activities (e.g., physical education)?
- What problems could arise if my child does not follow these restrictions?
- How often should my child visit an eye specialist to either check his/her glasses prescription or for a routine check-up?
- What suggestions do you have for teachers who are working with my child?
- What information should be shared with people who interact with my child?
- What adaptations do you think my child might need [e.g., magnifier, closed-circuit TV (CCTV)]?
- What local and national organizations can I call if I have further questions?
An acuity of 20/200 means that a person sees something at 20 feet what an individual with "normal" eyes sees at 200 feet.