|
Professional vision care for children should begin at a very early age. According to the American Optometric Association, a child’s first eye exam should be done by an optometrist or ophthalmologist at 6 months of age. We have always encouraged our patients to have their children tested between 2-3 years of age.
There are several areas we look at during the exam. They include the following:
-
Prescription – We check for nearsightedness, farsightedness, & astigmatism. Most young children are slightly farsighted until 3rd grade.
-
Alignment & Movement – We look at how the eyes are balanced by checking both the nerves & muscles. If eyes are misaligned, binocular vision can not develop. We then seek out the cause and apply the correct treatment.
-
Health Exam - We perform dilated exams to check the health of the eye. Rarely do we see congenital or developmental problems. However, it is still important to look.
We are often asked how we can check a child’s vision if he/she cannot respond. Our methods & techniques for evaluation do not require the verbalization of the child.
Please refer also to www.aoa.org (click on “Infant’s Vision”) for a step by step list of a child’s visual development.
By Dr. Veda Szeto - Optometrist - San Francisco |
