Pediatric Eye Exams: Nurturing Young Vision
Did you know that about 80% of a child's learning is through their eyes? It's no wonder that ensuring your child has good vision is vital. But here's the catch — kids might not always tell you when they're having trouble seeing. That's why pediatric eye exams are a must. We recommend regular check-ups for your child at various developmental stages, whether infant, preschooler, or school-aged.
Infant Eye Exams: Birth to 24 Months
Babies need healthy vision to explore and learn about the world around them. Their visual system starts to develop right from birth, and regular eye exams play a vital role in ensuring your little one's vision is on track. We suggest their first visit at around six months.
At this stage, we're checking for proper vision and eye health, ensuring that conditions like crossed eyes, farsightedness, nearsightedness, or astigmatism don't go unnoticed.
Preschooler Eye Exams: 2-5 Years Old
During the preschool years, children experience remarkable growth in their intellectual and motor skills. Good vision is crucial for their hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and perceptual abilities. At this stage, look for conditions like lazy eye (amblyopia) or crossed eyes (strabismus).
Detecting and treating these conditions early yields the best results. If you notice your child squinting, rubbing their eyes, sitting too close to the TV, or avoiding activities that require good vision, it's time for a visit.
School-Aged Eye Exams: Ages 6-18
Undetected or untreated vision problems can significantly impact a child's academic, social, and personal life. If your child struggles in school or extracurricular activities, it could be due to an underlying vision issue. Successful learning, motor development, reading, and more depend on good vision and eye coordination.
If your child has trouble focusing, reading, or coordinating their eyes and hands, they may become frustrated and exhibit behavioral issues. Other signs include short attention spans, headaches, frequent blinking, and avoiding reading.
The Eye Exam: What to Expect
Our pediatric eye exams go beyond checking visual acuity. We assess vital visual skills necessary for your child's development, such as focusing, binocular vision, peripheral vision, hand-eye coordination, tracking, and color vision.
Additionally, we examine the area around and inside the eyes for any health conditions or diseases. Share any relevant medical history, family history of eye problems, injuries, or medications your child takes during the exam. If we find a vision problem, our team will discuss suitable therapeutic options: eyeglasses, contact lenses, vision therapy, or ortho-k. Early detection and intervention are crucial to managing eye and vision issues effectively.
Why Children's Eye Care Matters
Early and regular eye exams for children are crucial. Childhood is a time of rapid development, and vision problems can surface at any age, even in infants. Addressing these issues early, when the eyes are still developing, offers the best chance for successful treatment. Our optometrist,
Dr. Kim Khanh Nguyen, emphasizes the importance of comprehensive eye exams starting from six months. Don't wait; prioritize your child's vision and development.