We think of kids as practically ballistic--practically indestructible. Oh to be that young again. I still don't know how I was able to sit on the ground and play for hours on end. And yes, youth does offer quite a measure of protection against certain types of injury.

However, when it comes to your kids eyesight, the National Institutes of Health's Nation Eye Institute (NEI), kids really should get eye exams regularly--even if you don't think they need them.

The NEI tells us kids are at risk for a wide range of eye and vision disorders. Getting those consistent, comprehensive exams can help find issues and correct them as soon as possible. Here are some of the most common conditions that arise:

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An astigmatism is "an imperfect curvature of the cornea that results in a problem with how light is focused in the eye." This causes vision to be blurred both near and far.

Farsighted- and nearsightedness are poor near and far distance vision, respectively.

The "lazy eye" or amblyopia. I had one of these when I was a kid. It's caused by the muscles around the eye not working up to par. It could be due to crossed eyes or other factors. This needs to be treated. Otherwise, damage could be permanent.

There's also a misalignment of the eyes and can also be a cause of the "lazy eye."

The sooner you get these diagnosed, the better. Another benefit of youth is that often it's much simpler to correct these things as kids are still growing. Waiting until they are older often means waiting for the problem to have become more complex or even permanent. Ask your pediatrician what they'd recommend as soon as you can.

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