back-to-school eye exams: get kids ready for the school year

This post was written as part of a partnership with MyEyeDr.

Did you know that kids should have their eyes examined each year before school begins?

Did you know that back-to-school eye exams will help to ensure that children’s eyes are performing their best for academic success each school year?

It’s true.

And honestly, I’m embarrassed to admit that back-to-school eye exams are something that I never, ever thought of for my kids. Ever. Until now.

So along with shopping for backpacks, clothes, paper, and pencils, the back to school season is an absolutely perfect time to take your family to MyEyeDr for a before-school eye exam.

That’s what we did this year, and I’m so glad we did.

Maddy, Cora, and I went to MyEyeDr. in Olney, Maryland this past week for our first-ever back-to-school eye exam. And even though Maddy and Cora do not need their vision corrected, I picked out affordable, cute frames for myself which I love.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Back-to-School Eye Exams — Get Kids Ready for the School Year

When I first heard that families really should have back-to-school eye exams, I panicked.

How could I have never, ever done this for my kids?

It reminded me of that fateful playdate 12 years ago, when a few of the moms were talking about how their two-year-olds loved puzzles.

Puzzles?! I thought to myself. I totally forgot about puzzles. Maddy is two years old with a baby brother, and I have never shown her a puzzle. What was I thinking?

Of course, the puzzle thing wasn’t the end of the world. And neither is my forgetting the eye exams.

But if you are with me–and you’ve never taken your kids for back-to-school eye exams–then the time to begin is now.

Right now, MyEyeDr. is offering a complete pair of glasses, including lens and frames, starting at $69.

Maddy, Cora, and I went to our neighborhood MyEyeDr., the office location that I have been visiting for years, and just like always, the service and support was outstanding.

We were immediately greeted upon entering the office, and our wait was very short. I like when I have reasonable wait times at appointments, don’t you? I mean, who has time to sit in an office just waiting to be seen? Not me.

The girls were checked first by the assistant, and then I followed.

We went to the back of the office for our initial prescription estimate, general eye health assessment, and retinal imaging.

Then we waited to be seen by Dr. Jasleen Bedi, our optometrist.

Dr. Bedi made both Maddy and Cora feel comfortable during their first eye exam and explained what she was doing each step of the way.

She evaluated their vision by having them say the letters they were able to see at a distance and closeup.

To our excitement, both girls have 20/15 vision! No glasses for either Maddy or Cora!

They were both pretty thrilled.

Dr. Bedi explained what she saw on each of the girls’ retinal photographs, telling us that the girls’ retinas looked strong and healthy.

Finally, it was my turn. And since I do go for yearly eye exams at this particular MyEyeDr. office, it was interesting for my girls to see exactly how weak their mama’s eyes are. (Boo-hooooo.)

Luckily, my prescription didn’t change much from my exam half a year ago, which is a good thing.

Ideally, I’ll chat with Dr. Bedi in a few months about other vision correction options other than glasses, but that’s a whole other story.

Because I haven’t had new frames in ages, we decided I would look at new frames for the upcoming school year. Picking out frames is no easy feat, but the experts at MyEyeDr. make it so incredibly easy.

When I walked out to the office, I already had four frame options pulled for me. Four! And I loved them.

I was grateful to have the full attention of Byron Garcia, General Manager of the MyEyeDr. Olney location, as well as the amazing Kenny Bey, helping me choose frames. It was a quiet time at the office, early afternoon, but I noticed that each patient in the office was receiving just as much individual attention as we were.

I’ve been to the office many other times when it was buzzing and busy, so perhaps when choosing an appointment time, take this into consideration.

So with the help of Byron, Kenny, Maddy and Cora, I narrowed the frames down to two so that my instagram friends could get in on the voting action.

Take a look:

It was unanimous: frame #1 won. I love them and cannot wait to pick them up and sport new frames for the upcoming year!

All in all, the first eye exam experience for both Maddy and Cora went really well.

The appointments do not take much time at all–which is an important thing to know when you’re a busy family.

I’d say that if you give your local MyEyeDr. a call and block out about 60-90 minutes, you should be fine.

But no matter how long the appointment and eye exam experience takes, you can feel good knowing that you are doing what you can to see that your children start this new school year on the right foot!

What you need to know about MyEyeDr.:

MyEyeDr. is a network of optometry practices that offers comprehensive eye care services;
MyEyeDr. offers designer and value prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses and standard and specialty prescription contact lenses;
MyEyeDr. welcomes all vision insurance plans and providers;
MyEyeDr. makes vision health attainable for everyone. Learn more at www.myeyedr.com
BIG PROMOTION: From now until September 15, MyEyeDr. is offering a super back-to-school special. Grab a complete pair of glasses, including lens and frames, starting at $69! Check out MyEyeDr.’s selection of Zoobug eye wear and start the school year with clearer vision.

Stay in touch with MyEyeDr:

Huge and happy thanks to the great folks at MyEyeDr. in Olney for always giving us outstanding service and care! We appreciate YOU!

fyi: This post was written as part of a partnership with MyEyeDr., but as always, opinions are all my own, influenced only by my experience as a parent and educator.