Summer break: Ideal time to get kids’ eyes checked

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Hilda Cioffi, a St. Augustine mom, knew her two kids had a lot in common. But she never thought they’d have the same commonly undiagnosed eye problem.

She first realized something wasn’t right with her daughter’s vision during a visit to their pediatrician’s office. 

“Ava was starting to read, and there was no sign that something was wrong,” said Hilda, who was living with her family in Ft. Lauderdale at the time. “But when they covered her left eye, she couldn’t read with her right eye.”

Four-year-old Ava was diagnosed with amblyopia, or “lazy eye.” Because amblyopia usually occurs in one eye only, many parents are unaware of the condition. But if left untreated, amblyopia can affect a child’s ability to learn and lead to permanent vision loss. 

Hilda’s pediatrician recommended that she go to Nemours for kids’ ophthalmology, even though it was in Northeast Florida. “I tucked that away as a good thing to know,” said Hilda. 

Because vision issues are often hereditary, she had her son John tested and, like his sister, he had amblyopia as well as farsightedness.

When their family relocated to St. Johns County, Hilda knew they were close enough to go to the practice her pediatrician recommended. 

After a few visits to Nemours in Jacksonville’s San Marco neighborhood, she learned about the Nemours Jacksonville South office — located close to many St. Johns County neighborhoods — and it quickly became her family’s most convenient place to get the care they needed. “It cut my travel time in half,” said Hilda.

With the new school year starting, she encourages other parents to get their kids’ vision checked out if they fail a vision screening or suspect something is wrong. It could be a problem that often goes undetected — resulting in vision-related reading and learning issues.

“A lot of children don’t like going to the doctor. But if they have a problem like we had and you wait, usually things get worse,” she said. “Time is not your friend.” 

The Nemours Jacksonville South office is located at 14785 Old St Augustine Road, Suite 200 in Jacksonville. For information, call (904) 697-3600 or visit bit.ly/2NW8QRN.