To ensure your child has healthy vision, bring them to an eye doctor every year for a comprehensive eye exam to determine whether their vision has changed, and to check for eye diseases and other health problems.
Here are some frequently asked questions related to pediatric eye health:
Q: How regularly should school-aged children — aged 5-17 — visit an eye doctor?
The American Optometric Association and the American Public Health Association recommend that children have their first eye exam at 6-12 months of age.
After their first eye exam they should return around their 3rd birthday, or as directed by their eye doctor.
Once your child starts school, they should get a comprehensive eye exam once a year, or as recommended by their eye doctor.
Q: Is a school vision screening sufficient for my child?
Unfortunately, school vision screenings are not enough, as they are designed to identify only a few vision problems, such as myopia (nearsightedness).
In contrast, a comprehensive eye exam enables your eye doctor to assess a child’s eyesight and eye health, as well as visual skills like eye tracking and focusing. Since a child’s academic performance is largely dependent on their visual skills, doctors recommend that children have a comprehensive eye exam before reaching school age, and then annually after that.
Q: How does vision play a role when children are diagnosed as learning disabled or dyslexic?
Some children who are believed to have learning disabilities and/or ADHD don’t actually have these conditions. An undetected or untreated vision problem may present with the same signs and symptoms. It’s also possible for children with dyslexia, ADHD and other conditions to have concurrent vision problems. Often, once the vision problems are treated, children find it easier to learn.
It is estimated that 25% of school-aged children have an undiagnosed vision problem that could interfere with learning.
Q: At what age is it recommended for a child to wear contact lenses?
There is no official age for when a child can start to wear contact lenses. In fact,4 million American children under the age of 18 wear contact lenses. A child’s eyes can tolerate contact lenses at a very young age; even some infants are fitted for contact lenses due to congenital cataracts or other eye conditions. Contacts are especially suited to kids who are active or love to play sports, and are an effective treatment option for children with myopia.
Q: My child keeps breaking their glasses. Are there effective glasses for children that are long-lasting?
We offer a large selection of children’s frames that are specifically designed to be flexible, with the ability to withstand a reasonable amount of mechanical stress. However, some children will still manage to break, bend or damage their glasses. That’s why we recommend having a backup pair of glasses.
Early vision care to support your child’s highest learning potential is important. At Eye Trends, we enjoy working with children of all ages and are passionate about providing children and families with the care they deserve. We don’t believe in the “one size fits all” mentality of vision care, and work very hard to accommodate the needs of each individual child.
Schedule an eye exam at Eye Trends in Conroe today to make certain your child is learning to their full potential.