Eye care is essential at all ages, and early eye examinations are a crucial tool to monitor your children’s visual development. The first step is scheduling an eye exam with your optometrist and getting your children familiar with consistent eye exams.
Children’s eye exams allow your eye care professional to conduct various tests to ensure your child’s eyes and vision are healthy.
Let’s take a closer look at what to expect during your child’s eye exams and help take the stress out of eye exams for your children.
How Eye Exams Help Your Children
Eye exams are more than just updating your child’s glasses or contact lenses prescription, so knowing what to expect prior to your appointment is always helpful.
Eye exams allow your optometrist to get familiar with your child’s eyes and visual development. Your optometrist also gets a chance to check your children for eye issues like:
- Myopia (nearsightedness)
- Amblyopia (lazy eye)
- Strabismus (crossed eyes)
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Your child’s visual development is crucial not only to their classroom learning but also when they’re playing and exploring the world around them. As your child progresses through school, they face different demands on their visual abilities.
Squinting to see the board and having trouble with the print size in textbooks can contribute to academic issues. Your optometrist will test crucial vision skills for effective reading and learning like:
- Visual acuity
- Eye focusing
- Eye tracking
- Eye teaming
- Eye-hand coordination
- Visual perception
Your optometrist will work with you and your children to help monitor their visual development and help them excel in all facets of life, whether in the classroom or out on the playground.
Bringing Your Children in for an Eye Exam
School can be demanding on your child’s eyes and vision, so it is crucial to bring them in for an eye exam before starting the school year.
Early and consistent eye exams allow your optometrist to monitor any developing eye issues and prepare a treatment plan before these issues start affecting your children’s daily lives. An early exam can also determine your child’s unique prescription for new glasses or contact lenses.
That’s where the fun part begins! You and your children can browse a wide selection of fabulous designer frames to display as an extension of your children’s personality. Your optometrist provides comprehensive fitting services so your child’s new glasses fit comfortably and safely.
Noticing Eye Problems in Your Children
When certain visual skills haven’t developed, you may start noticing that learning is difficult and stressful for your child. Your child may not even tell you they have a vision problem because they might think it’s normal.
That’s why consistent eye exams are essential so that your optometrist can stay up-to-date with your child’s vision needs. Some signs that can indicate that your child has a vision problem can include:
- Sitting close to the front of the class to see
- Holding books close to their face
- Frequently rubbing their eyes
- Avoiding close-up work
- Squinting to see faraway objects
Undetected and untreated vision problems can negatively impact your child’s quality of life so getting them the eye care they deserve is essential!
Dedicated Vision Care for Your Children
Early visual development is a crucial time for your child, and your optometrist is in your corner to make things a little easier for them. Vision issues at a young age can be challenging for your child to deal with—that’s why consistent and early eye exams are essential to catch any issues early.Book an appointment at Hercules Optometric Group and set your child up for visual success today.
