It’s often normal as a parent to wonder if your kids are experiencing eye problems, and especially if you start noticing, they are having a difficulty coping with school activities. Well, eye exams are extremely important for young children, this is because, and about 5 to 10% of preschoolers and around 25% of school-aged children encounter vision or sight problems. Therefore, it is important that you identify your child’s vision problem at an early age because they are often responsive when diagnosed early.
According to AOA (The American Optometric Association), infants require having their first full eye exam when they are only 6 months old. They should have a follow-up exam when they get to three years, and just before they join first grade, which is about the age of 5 to 6.
For children going to school, it is recommended that they have eye exams after every two years in case no vision correction is required. If you child requires eyeglasses after exam or contact lenses, then they need to schedule an eye exam annually or as will be recommended by their eye doctor.
When you take your children for an early eye exam because children need to have a good sight for learning, near and distance vision, binocular, eye movement skills, focusing skills, and hand-eye coordination.
Your child’s first eye examiner is probably going to be your family doctor or pediatrician, and in case they notice something during their routine checks they might request for a referral that might be made by an eye doctor for further evaluation. It’s important that when you are scheduling for an eye exam for your child, you should consider a time when they are happy and alert. The specific of how the eye exams are carried out on infants will depend on the age of your child, but normally they will start with a case history, vision testing and a determination of whether the eyeglasses are needed or not.
It is important to ensure that you visit a qualified and professional eye doctor when scheduling for your child’s first eye exam. You can get in touch with the American Optometric Association for referrals.