Pediatric Eye Exams

Importance of Pediatric Eye Exams

Regular eye care is essential for maintaining good eye health in young children from the ages of six months onward. Research has shown that a significant percentage of pre-schoolers and school-aged children experience vision-related issues.

The American Optometrist Association (AOA) has stipulated that all children should have their eyes regularly examined at the age of six months, three years, and at the start of school. After that, they can continue to have their eye checkups every two years. Early detection of vision problems can help initiate treatment.

Some of the risk factors that influence development of vision problems in children are as follows:

• History of eye injury
• Eye disease runs in the family
• Premature birth
• Developmental delays
• Diagnosed with other physical illnesses or diseases
• Possess turned or crossed eyes

The AOA has made some recommendations when it comes to children’s eye care needs.

• Children at risk of developing vision problems should have frequent eye exams.
• Children wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses should have their eyes checked every 12 months or at a time determined by their optometrist
• Children who do not have vision problems or are not at risk of developing such problems should continue to have annual eye exams throughout school

Waco Vision Center offers quality pediatric eye care for children in the Waco, TX area. Our eye doctors use special techniques and technology to test children’s eyesight.

Call us to find out more about our pediatric eye care services, or fill out our form to schedule your appointment.

Complete Age-Specific Eye Exams for Children

We offer a variety of eye exams for different age groups. Each exam is designed taking their age-based development into account. These include:

• Comprehensive infant eye examinations at six months
• Eye checkups for preschoolers – children between the ages of two and five
• Eye checkups for school-aged kids –children between the ages of six and eighteen

Each eye exam is designed to track and monitor your child’s progress when it comes to the vision-related milestones that need to be achieved at each stage of their growth and development.

Our eye doctors will look out for any sign of symptoms that could impair their eye health or vision, such as strabismus, farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism, amblyopia, as well as other signs of vision problems, such as short attention span, focusing issues, headaches, frequent blinking, double vision, etc.

We’ll also guide parents on identifying developmental delays in their child that has a connection with their vision issues.

Basic Structure of Our Children's Eye Exam

• Assessing basic visual acuity
• Distance vision, near vision, refractive errors, etc.
• Other visual skills needed for learning and mobility, such as:
• Binocular vision
• Focusing
• Peripheral vision
• Color vision
• Hand-eye coordination
• Tracking
• Examination of the area around the eye and inside the eye to check for eye diseases or health conditions

We’ll take into account your child’s personal history while performing our eye exams. At the end of the exam, our eye doctor will address any concerns that indicate a possible vision problems and provide suitable recommendations as to whether your child needs eyeglasses, contact lenses, eye patches, vision therapy, or any other vision correction option.