Pediatric Vision Exams
Early eye exams for children are not just about vision. In the early months of an infants development, babies can only focus on objects that are close and only see high contrast colors such as black, white and red.
At around six months of age, visual acuity sharpens. It is at this time that a baby should have their first eye exam to ensure that their eyes are developing normally and are working together. After that, an annual eye exam is important as healthy vision is essential to a child’s ability to learn, play sports and other activities.
As with any doctor’s visit, kids might be scared to see an eye doctor. We are specially equipped to perform eye exams without making them intimidating. We use a calm and friendly approach and we make the tests fun. From special eye charts with pictures to super fast machines that take the guess work out of vision tests, we cater to kids.
During a child’s eye exam, the doctor can identify nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. These are conditions that can be easily remedied with prescription glasses or even contacts in some cases. At a very early age, our optometrists can diagnose a condition called amblyopia or more commonly known as “lazy eye.” Treatment includes a corrective eye patch on the normal eye so it forces the weaker eye to work harder and improve. If diagnosed early enough, the better the chances a child will avoid wearing a patch when they are in grade-school.
