Pediatric Eye Exams
When should children have an eye exam?
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age. At 3 years of age, an additional children eye exam should be done just before they enter kindergarten or the first grade at about age 5 or 6.
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 is achieved through their sense of vision.
Good eye health and vision is important to your child’s ability to learn; vision problems can impact 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.
A pediatric eye examination includes:
- Evaluation of vision and ocular health
- Eye teaming (binocularity) skills
- Eye movement skills
- Focusing skills
- Evaluation for amblyopia (or “lazy eye”)
- Evaluation for strabismus (or eye turn)
A pediatric eye examination includes:
- Evaluation of vision and ocular health
- Eye teaming (binocularity) skills
- Eye movement skills
- Focusing skills
- Evaluation for amblyopia (or “lazy eye”)
- Evaluation for strabismus (or eye turn)
At least 10 to 15 percent of children – that’s 8 to 12 million in the U.S. alone – 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!