Pediatric Eye Exams
Did you know that up to 10% of children that pass vision screenings at school or at the pediatrician have a treatable vision problem? This is because the vision screenings performed at school and at the pediatricians are only checking visual acuity, and not checking the binocular vision system or the health of the eyes. Those are only a few reasons why the American Academy of Optometry recommends an eye exam at 12 months, 3 years, and before starting school for children with no apparent visual issues.
Unfortunately, children often do not even know to complain about their vision issues because they simply assume that everyone has those same problems, making a comprehensive eye exam all the more important. 80% of learning is attained visually, and so our goal is to make sure that your children are given the best possible opportunity to succeed by maximizing their visual performance.
As you can imagine, pediatric exams vary greatly depending on the age and maturity of your child. For some children, we are able to perform an exam that is very similar to an adult exam, but for others, we have to use other techniques that do not rely on their input to determine their prescription. Depending on results of our testing, we may also use special dilation drops to relax your child’s visual system and uncover any underlying prescription that they have been using their eye muscles to compensate for. These special drops last much longer than the typical dilation drops, so are generally reserved for patients that display certain qualities in the exam room.
If it has been a while since your child’s last exam, or if they have never had an eye exam, give us a call to schedule an exam with one of our doctors today! We would be honored to take care of you and your family.