When should children have an eye exam?

What Kind of Eye Tests Do Preschool Children (Ages 2 to 5) Need?

Preschool children observe their surroundings constantly and are hungry for information. Your child develops fine motor skills when they use crayons or build with blocks. Children at this age are active and may like to play tag or throw bean bags. All of these activities require good vision.

Vision problems in preschool children are not always obvious. Your child may avoid playing with puzzles or coloring and they may not tell you why. They could sit too close to the television, squint regularly or rub their eyes.

An eye exam will tell you if your child has vision difficulties and can screen for conditions such as crossed eyes (stabismus) or lazy eye (amblyopia). The earlier these conditions are treated, greater the chance of a successful outcome.

What Do Eye Exams for School-Age Children (6-18) Involve?

For school-aged children, the AOA recommends an eye exam every two years if no vision correction is required. Children who need eyeglasses or contact lenses should be examined annually or according to their eye doctor’s recommendations. It’s important for parents to make sure their children’s eyes are healthy. Approximately 80 percent of all learning during a child’s first 12 years comes through vision.

Good eye health and vision is important to your child’s learning, and vision problems can affect their performance in school. Undetected or untreated vision problems can hinder a child’s ability to perform to their full potential in school. In fact, many eye diseases can impair vision or lead to vision loss, which is why it is important for people of all ages to have their eyes checked regularly.

At least 10 to 15 percent – or 8 to 12 million – children are at risk for vision impairment. Prevention of these conditions can be easy and can help your student perform his or her best at academics and sports, so schedule your child’s eye exam today! While you’re at it, schedule your own exam too!

Declining grades and an unwillingness to participate in some sports could be signs of vision problems. Others include:

• Short attention span
• Headaches
• Frequent blinking
• Avoiding reading
• Tilting the head to one side
• Losing their place often while reading
• Double vision
• Poor reading comprehension

For school-age children, an eye exam goes beyond testing basic visual acuity and will also test:

• Binocular vision: how the eyes work together as a team
• Focusing
• Peripheral Vision
• Color Vision
• Hand-eye Coordination
• Tracking

The doctor will also examine the area around the eye and inside the eye to check for any eye diseases or health conditions. As a parent, you can be pro-active and tell the eye doctor about any developmental delays, history of eye problems or injuries or medications your child is taking.

What Treatments Can Improve Your Child’s Vision?

Regular eye exams help diagnose eye and vision problems and give you a chance to discuss treatment options with your eye doctor. Our eyecare professionals tailor-make our treatments according to your child’s age and type of condition. some of our popular treatments include:

• eyeglasses
• contact lenses
• eye patch
• orthokeratology
• vision therapy

Let us help your child get a head start on good vision so they can discover the world in a whole new light. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Gemma Meadows at Eastern Eye Associates Optometrists in Gloucester Point today!