When is it time to take your child in for their first eye exam? You'll take your child in for their vaccinations and shots without thinking. You'll even remember to introduce them to proper dental hygiene and get them into see the dentist, but what about eye care? Taking care of your child's eye care is just as important as taking care of their teeth to manager well-being and proper growth. There is no need to worry when taking a child in for their first eye exam. The time to do it is as early as six months old because studies say that as many as 10% of pre-school aged and younger children will suffer from visual irregularities that require intervention in order to be corrected. Since the experience of vision is still a relatively new concept to children of that age, they may be unable to properly communicate any symptoms making regular visits for eye examinations key. Remember, the earlier you can ensure your child's ocular health, the better.
My child has had an eye exam at school, why go to the optometrist? Taking a trip to the optometrist entails a much more robust gamut of testing then just reading letters off of a chart. A full eye exam will provide comprehensive results that may include testing eye movement, focusing, peripheral detection, near and distance perception and more, ensuring a complete picture of their ocular health. This is much more accurate and robust then the basic tests a school's health department might choose to perform. It is important to remember that 5 - 10% of pre-school aged children and as much as 25% of older school children will suffer from problems with their vision. Early diagnosis can be crucial to help the child adjust and accept treatment.