How Young Should I Start My Child’s Eye Care?
Taking care of your child’s vision is an essential component of his or her success. Visual input is one way a child’s brain develops and begins to make sense of the world. Children can see long before they are able to communicate, but seeing is an intricate part of verbal communication. Visual input gives information not available through the other senses and continues to be one of the most important senses as we age.
An estimated 20% of children have an undiagnosed vision disorder. Many of these children will struggle with reading, comprehension, and language skills. It is not entirely uncommon for these perceived learning disabilities to be attributed to something else, resulting in a child being held back from reaching his potential due to nothing more than a need for glasses. And while some schools have sought to remedy this problem with free annual eye exams, not all children are provided these and even those who are may not be properly diagnosed. They are typically parent volunteers, after all, and not ophthalmologists who administer those in-school vision exams. Only a comprehensive eye exam from a qualified eye doctor can truly identify all vision aberrations and work to ensure your child’s vision is not hindering her success.
First Eye Exam
Your child’s first eye exam should take place around six months old. Depth perception, the ability of our eyes to work in conjunction to produce three-dimensional images, begins to really develop around month five. During the first few months of your baby’s life, he or she will be using visual information to not only make sense of the world, but to develop eye-body coordination skills that will be essential for crawling and walking. Taking your child to the ophthalmologist for a comprehensive eye exam can help identify vision issues that may interfere with proper development. Once identified, most vision issues can be addressed to help remove obstacles to your child’s success.
Second Eye Exam
Your child’s second eye exam should take place around his or her third birthday. By this point, hand-eye coordination and depth perception should be well developed and your child may even be holding pencils or performing other advanced coordination tasks.
During the toddler years, your child will take in a stunning amount of information through visual stimulation. Problems with vision can interfere with this collection of information, making it harder for your child to comprehend or absorb information. A visit to the ophthalmologist before preschool can help ensure your little one is ready for what’s to come.
While vision disorders in toddlers are less common, the American Optometric Association (AOA) reports that up to 10% of preschool aged kids are diagnosed with refractive errors or another vision abnormality during exams. Children in this percentile may be at a disadvantage educationally and socially until their vision issue is addressed. The most reliable way to determine if your child would benefit from corrective eyewear is a thorough early childhood eye exam.
Third Eye Exam
Your child’s third comprehensive eye exam should occur right before kindergarten or first grade. This exam will help determine if your child could benefit from prescription eyewear in the classroom.
Children who have a hard time seeing often fail to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills and may develop reading disabilities and other obstacles to learning. The AOA reports that 25% of children aged five and six are diagnosed with vision disorders following an exam. That means a full quarter of children in this age group may be facing stress, learning difficulties, and social embarrassment related to an easily treatable vision disorder. All it takes to find out if your child is in this group is a call to your ophthalmologist for a pediatric exam.
From age six on, visits to the eye doctor should occur every year for children who have been diagnosed with a vision disorder. Every other year is sufficient for children who have not.
Signs of Vision Disorders in Children
It is important that you take your child to the eye doctor for screenings during various development stages. It is also important that you know how to identify signs of poor vision so that you can bring concerns to the attention of your ophthalmologist.
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Signs your child may be struggling with vision include:
- Covering one eye to read
- Tilting the head to see close-up objects
- Holding reading material close to the face
- Frequent eye rubbing or blinking
- Easily losing place while reading or following along
- Complaints of seeing double
In addition, your child may exhibit signs of poor vision that do not seem related to the eyes such as:
- Poor academic performance
- Difficulties retaining information
- A short attention span
Frequent headaches are also a sign of an untreated vision disorder. If you notice any of these symptoms or if your child complains of them, it is best to take him to an experienced ophthalmologist where vision disorders can be diagnosed and treated.
Eye Exams Aren’t Scary
Any visit to the doctor can seem frightening to a child, especially when tests and diagnostic tools are needed to assess health. Pediatric eye exams help combat fear associated with visiting the eye doctor.
Teaching your children early on that ophthalmologists are here to help and vision screening is both painless and necessary can help her develop a healthy relationship with visual health and make her more likely to commit to it in the future. As we enter Blindness Awareness Month, it’s a good idea to bear in mind that most blindness is preventable. Routine visits to the eye doctor throughout life remain the most effective way to detect, diagnose, and treat the myriad issues that can lead to a loss of vision.
If your child has not been to the eye doctor in some time, find a qualified and trusted ophthalmologist in your area to schedule an exam today. This simple step may save your child untold amounts of strain, stress, and frustration by ensuring he or she is provided the tools they need to see and succeed.
