Eye See… Eye Learn Program

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 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, call us to book an appointment with one of our optometrists. Sources: http://www.optometrists.ab.ca/parents