Pediatric Eye Care
Many aspects of learning are visual, so difficulty seeing clearly can affect your child’s ability to learn. This is especially true for infants, who rely on vision to learn about their surroundings. Have your child’s vision checked at key stages to support healthy development.
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), children should have eye exams at 6 months, 3 years, at the start of school, and every year after. If your child shows signs of a vision problem or has risk factors such as developmental delays, premature birth, or a family history of eye issues, schedule more frequent exams. A child who wears eyeglasses or contact lenses should have their eyes examined yearly. Children’s eyes can change rapidly as they grow.
Eye Exams in Infants: Birth to 24 Months
A baby’s visual system develops gradually over the first few months of life. They learn to focus, move their eyes, and use both eyes together. The brain must also learn to process visual information to understand and interact with the world. Motor skills such as crawling, walking, and hand-eye coordination develop alongside vision.
Monitor your baby’s development and schedule a comprehensive eye exam at 6 months to track key milestones. During this exam, the doctor checks vision and development and screens for conditions such as strabismus, farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism.
If your infant was born premature or shows developmental delays, your doctor may recommend more frequent visits to monitor progress.
Eye Check-Up in Preschool Children: Ages 2 to 5
Toddler and preschool years are a time of rapid intellectual and motor development. During this time, children develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and perceptual abilities needed for reading, writing, sports, and creative activities. These skills depend on strong vision and visual processing.
At this age, parents should watch for signs of lazy eye (amblyopia), when one eye doesn’t see clearly, or crossed eyes (strabismus), when one or both eyes turn inward or outward. The earlier we treat these conditions, the higher the success rate.
Parents should also watch for delays in object, number, or letter recognition, color recognition, or coordination, as these may be vision-related. If you notice your child squinting, rubbing their eyes frequently, sitting very close to the TV or reading material, or avoiding activities like puzzles or coloring, schedule an eye exam.
Eye Exams in School-Aged Kids: Ages 6 to 18
Undetected or uncorrected vision problems can affect children and teens academically, socially, athletically, and personally. If your child is having trouble in school or after-school activities, there could be an underlying vision problem. Proper learning, motor development, reading, and many other skills are dependent upon not only good vision, but also the ability of your eyes to work together. Children who have problems with focusing, reading, eye teaming, or hand-eye coordination often experience frustration and may show behavioral issues. They often don’t realize their vision is abnormal, so they may not ask for help.
In addition to basic visual acuity (distance and near vision, or refractive errors), an eye exam may assess the following skills:
- Short attention span
- Headaches
- Frequent blinking
- Avoiding reading
- Tilting the head to one side
- Losing their place while reading
- Double vision
- Poor reading comprehension
The Eye Exam
In addition to basic visual acuity (distance and near vision, or refractive errors), an eye exam may assess the following visual skills for learning and mobility:
- Binocular vision: how the eyes work together as a team
- Focusing
- Peripheral vision
- Color vision
- Hand-eye coordination
- Tracking
The doctor will also examine the area around and inside the eye to check for disease or other conditions. Share any relevant history, such as premature birth, developmental delays, family history, eye injuries, or medications. This is also the time to address any concerns that may indicate a vision problem.
Frequently Asked Questions About Pediatric Eye Care
That is very common, especially for younger children. Our team is experienced in working with children and adapts the exam using age-appropriate techniques.