Information for Parents
We know that your child's eye health is important to you. That's why the Alberta Association of Optometrists, and the Eye See... Eye Learn® (ESEL) program, are dedicated to help you detect and prevent eye health issues in your children from birth through to adulthood.
The ESEL program provides a fun and interactive way to introduce your children to eye care. Fribbit, our ESEL mascot, puts a friendly and likeable face on optometry.
Alberta Health & Wellness covers the cost of complete eye exams for children ages 0-18. The ESEL program supplements this by providing a pair of free eyeglasses to kindergarten children who require a prescription.
Vision Problem Indicators
If your child is displaying any of these behavioral or verbal indicators, it may be a sign of eye health problems. When taking your child to the optometrist, make sure to mention these indicators.
- dislike or avoidance of close work or detail work (ex: LEGO, drawing, etc.)
- short attention span or "daydreaming" more than is normal for a child
- turning or tilting the head to use only one eye, or closing or covering one eye
- placing head close to books or desk while reading or writing
- excessive blinking or rubbing of the eyes
- losing place while reading or using finger/marker to guide eyes
- trouble finishing written assignments in alloted time
- difficulty remembering what has been read
- age-inappropriate and persistent reversals of letters
- difficulty remembering, indentifying and reproducing basic geometric forms (triangle, square, etc.)
- poor eye-hand coordination
- headaches, nausea and dizziness
- burning or itching eyes
- blurring of the vision at any time
- double vision
If your child displays one or more of these indicators, it is a good idea to have their eyes checked by an optometrist.
For more information, please feel free to send us a message or call the ESEL Coordinator at:
(780) 451-6824 ext. 232 (in Edmonton)
(800) 272-8843 ext. 232 (Alberta only)
