| Q.When Should Children Have Their Eyes Examined? |  | - When the infant is about 6 months old. This exam should be performed by an optometrist who specializes in treating young children or by a pediatric ophthalmologist. During this initial check, the doctor makes sure the eyes are working well together and that they're free of rarely occurring but significant defects - such as cataracts and tumors - that could threaten the child's vision.
- Between the ages of 2 and 3, before the child enters preschool. During this eye exam, the doctor looks for signs of developmental disorders, including "lazy eye," crossed eyes (strabismus), nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism - which triggers difficulties in focusing. If the doctor finds an irregularity, effective therapies can usually begin immediately, often sparing the child from wearing corrective devices (such as an eye patch) during later years.
- Before the child enters kindergarten. At this point, the eye doctor tests for sharpness of vision and corrects deficiencies by prescribing glasses.
6 months
before preschool
before kindergarten
Your Child's Eyes:
Get Them Checked Early and Often
| Q.Why do children need eye examinations? | | |
There are many conditions that may prevent a child from seeing clearly out of one eye and yet they have no symptoms of poor vision because the other eye sees clearly. When this situation is allowed to persist, the pathway between the unused eye and the brain does not develop properly. This condition is called amblyopia (lazy eye) and the vision cannot be restored later with spectacles (eyeglasses). Early diagnosis of the conditions that result in amblyopia can prevent its development.
Children generally do not report symptoms of poor vision, as they have no way of knowing what clear vision should be like. If a child is very farsighted (hyperopic) they will find near work such as reading and coloring to be very difficult and tiring. A child who is nearsighted may not be able to see the blackboard at school. Spectacles can be used to correct these vision problems.
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| Q.What does it mean to have crossed-eyes? | |
The term crossed-eyes refers to a condition called strabismus. Strabismus occurs when the eyes point in different directions. This often presents in children before 2 years of age, but can occasionally have a later onset. Strabismus is not a condition that a child will grow out of. In fact, initially strabismus may be present only under certain conditions and then over a period of years it may become constant. Spectacles, bifocal spectacles, exercises and even surgery are possible methods of treatment. In almost all cases of strabismus, early treatment improves the prognosis. Signs and Symptoms of Eye Problems in Infants
• Discharge from eyes
• Droopy eyelid
• A white pupil
• Eyes that wander, shake or vibrate
• Eyes full of tears when the infant is not crying
• Swelling or a bump around the eyes or eyelids
• Not looking at parents by 3 months of age
• An eye that turns in or turns out
• A difference in size, shape or color of the eye or eyelids
Redness of the eye | | If any of these signs or symptoms is present, your infant should have a complete eye examination as soon as possible. All infants should have their first routine eye exam at 6 months of age.
• Signs and Symptoms of Eye Problems in Children
• Pain in or around the eye
• An eye that turns in or turns out
• A consistent head tilt or turn
• Occasional closing of one eye, especially in bright light
• Squinting to see clearly
• Cannot identify things far away
• Headaches
• Frequent eye rubbing
• Discharge from the eyes
• Droopy eyelid
• A white pupil
• Swelling or a bump around the eyes or eyelids
• A difference in size, shape or colour of the eye or eyelids
• Redness of the eye
• Avoidance of near work
If any of these signs or symptoms is present your child should have a complete eye examination as soon as possible. All children should have a routine eye exam at 3 years of age and every year thereafter. Sunglasses for Children
It is very important that we limit the exposure of our eyes to ultraviolet radiation (UV). Children under the age of ten are at the most risk for damage to the eye from UV, as they have not yet developed a filter in the middle of their eyes to help limit the penetration of the UV. Blue-eyed children have more damage from the sun as they have less pigment in the back of their eyes to absorb the UV. Research has recently shown that high amounts of UV exposure in childhood lead to a condition called macular degeneration. This condition causes the loss of central vision in seniors and currently there is no treatment available.
UV protection is found in most sunglasses sold in North America. If you would like to have your sunglasses tested, please bring them to the clinic where we can measure the amount of UV blocking. UV protection can also be found in some contact lenses and a clear UV filter can be applied to any prescription spectacles. Young children who will not cooperate with wearing sunglasses can be given some protection with wide-brim hats when in the sun.
Vision Skills Required for Learning
In order to see and understand the information presented to a child in school, many different vision skills are required. These skills include;
• Clear distance vision
• Clear near vision
• The ability to rapidly change focus from distance to near
• Maintaining focus at near without fatigue
• Accurate control of eye position, movement and tracking
• Coordinating both eyes to focus at the same spot at all times.
Over 80% of learning is through vision and so it is important to ensure that your child is putting their effort into learning the information presented to them, rather than putting the effort into seeing the information.
Tips for making your child's eye examination a positive experience
• Make an appointment for early in the day when the child is awake and attentive.
• Talk to the child about the examination in advance and let them ask questions.
• Let the child observe your eye exam on an earlier day | 
