Pediatric Eye Care—When do children need eye exams?
The American Optometric Association suggests that children have their first eye exam at 6 months of age. Kids are kept busy with school, sports, clubs, and social lives, so it’s important for parents and caregivers (teachers, family members, etc) to recognize when children may need a comprehensive eye exam.
Back to school:
- If your child has been an involved, attentive student and begins showing signs of decline in their school work, vision trouble might be to blame.
- If a child has markedly bad handwriting, that could be another indication of visual difficulty. If you notice that your child’s handwriting does not improve as they age, an eye exam will help to rule out any potential visual difficulty.
Sports performance:
- If your child plays football, baseball, or soccer and seems to have hit a wall in their performance, getting their eyes tested might help children enhance their game-play.
There are several symptoms that might indicate the need for an
- Squinting
- Holding books close to read/standing close to the TV to watch shows
Pediatric eye care is so important. Nearly everything we do on a daily basis is sight-based. When vision problems are detected early, vision therapy is usually effective in retraining the visual system to see and process information much more easily. A combination of corrective lenses (glasses or contacts) and vision therapy can literally help your child see the world in a whole new way.
If you have any questions about comprehensive pediatric eye exams, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
