If Your Child Failed a Vision Screening

For school-aged children, vision screenings are mandated by state law for Washington public schools for children in Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, 3, 5 & 7. Screenings are often administered by school nurses, and Spokane Eye Clinic partners with local school nurses to provide educational lectures.

What to Do

If your child fails a vision screening at school, don't panic—get it checked out. You could have the screening repeated at your pediatrician's office or proceed directly to an eye exam appointment.

Our Pediatric Ophthalmologists

The pediatric ophthalmologist will perform a comprehensive eye exam looking to identify any potential vision loss that might be reversible if caught and treated early in childhood (amblyopia). We can also check for any need for glasses that might help the child see better and function their best at school and in life. Some children who fail vision screenings will test normally on a formal eye exam and not even need glasses. But if they fail a screening, it is vital to check and be sure.

Even if a child does not fail a vision screening, there may be other potential signs of eye or vision trouble that would merit a visit to see us. These would include crossing or wandering eyes, excessive squinting or blinking, difficulty with reading or near tasks, difficulty seeing things far away, eye redness or pain, or excessive eye rubbing. If you have these concerns or others, bring them up and get checked.

(Note that this discussion differs from how we check small children for their glasses measurements. For more information on that, see Dr. Weed’s video on retinoscopy on our Facebook page).

To schedule an appointment, call (509) 456-0107