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Child/Pediatric Eye Exams

Do you know how well your child is able to see?

You may be wondering if your child really needs and eye exam or if it is something that can wait until they expressed having vision problems. Many vision issues and eye health problems don’t have signs and symptoms, your child may not even be aware that they are having issues with their vision and they believe what they are seeing is normal.

When should children have eye exams?

Children should have their eyes examined at 6 months, 3 years, when they begin school, and then every year following. If there are any signs that there may be a vision problem or if the child has certain risk factors (such as developmental delays, premature birth, crossed or lazy eyes,) more frequent exams may be recommended.

Eye Exams for Infants

To assess whether your baby’s vision is following important milestones, exams at 6-12 months can determine their development. Even though your child may not be able to talk, the doctor will use the following tests to assess their vision:

How Vision Problems Affect Learning

Experts say that 80% of what children learn is school is presented visually, ensuring your child has good vision is essential in helping them reach their full potential.

The older children get, the more vision deficiency can affect their learning abilities. A recent CAO study shows that 10% of preschoolers have a vision deficiency and that number increases to 25% from kindergarten to grade 6.

Children can also be misdiagnosed with a learning or behavioral disability, due to issues like difficulties with focusing on schoolwork. Up to 60% of children who are diagnosed with learning disabilities actually suffer from undetected vision problems.

Watch for these issues in conjunction with school problems: