Children’s vision care should begin at birth and continue throughout childhood and adolescence. Without professional vision screenings, children can grow up with a distorted vision that eventually causes complications during the school years. According to the American Optometric Association, undiagnosed and untreated vision problems can worsen in children because the brain learns to accommodate the distortion over time. Furthermore, untreated vision discrepancies can lead to academic, athletic and social handicaps that hold kids back from their ultimate potential.

Did you know…

that an estimated one in every four children is suffering from some kind of vision problem? Often these problems go undetected throughout childhood and even into the teenage years. In fact, as many as 11 percent of U.S. teens have vision problems that have not been professionally diagnosed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I have my child’s eyes examined?

Yes, even if your child performs well on vision screening tests at school or at the pediatricians it is still recommended to get his or her eyes examined to ensure the eyes are healthy. If you notice that your child is suddenly suddenly rubbing his or her eyes, squinting or demonstrating behaviors that seem to compensate for poor vision please schedule an eye exam to rule out any problems.

What should I expect during my child’s eye examination?

During the child’s eye exam, the doctor will check near vision, distance vision, eye movement, tracking, and teaming abilities, peripheral field awareness, color vision, stereoacuity, and ocular health. It is recommended that the child’s eyes be dilated at these visits especially if it is his or her first eye exam. Dilation is done by using eye drops that enlarge the pupil of the eyes allowing the doctor to examine the back of the eyes as well as refine any refractive disorders that he or she may have. Dilation side effects most commonly include light sensitivity and blurred vision especially at near and lasts a few hours (some can last for the whole day). Your child will receive sunglasses to help with the light sensitivity and if needed, a school note can be provided as well. 

What should I be doing between examinations to protect my child’s eyes?

Some things you can do between eye exams to help your child’s vision health can include UV protection, providing a nutritious diet, practicing healthy habits such as taking breaks from near work (and keeping a healthy distance from near work), or wearing eye protection when playing sports.