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Pediatric Eye Exam

Your Baby’s Very First Eye Exam

Your baby can undergo their first actual eye exam when they are six months old. Their eye doctor will check for some of the following conditions:

    • Eye Teaming
    • An ability to focus their eyes
    • Astigmatism, farsightedness, or nearsightedness
    • Cataracts

Baby’s First Complete Eye Exam

Your little one’s next eye exam should take place when they are no later than four years old. It is at this age that your child can give more useful answers, which can help out our professionals a lot. The eye charts we use in our office have pictures, numbers, and letters. Some of the other tests that our eye doctors can use on your child include:

    • How your child sees colors
    • Depth perception
    • Visual acuity

Our professionals at Campus Eye Group will also figure out whether your child has a misalignment of your child’s eye, lazy eye, or congenital disorders. These conditions are not life-threatening and won’t drastically reduce your child’s vision. These tests are a precaution to ensure that your child doesn’t have a condition that needs the attention of an ophthalmologist.

Pediatric Eye Exams: What to Expect

Take your child to get an eye exam before they begin kindergarten. Less-than-great vision can negatively affect your child as they acclimate to the school environment. Some of the tests that your little one will undergo include the following:

    • The health of their eyes
    • Proper eye alignment
    • Visual acuity

What you can Expect Before the Pediatric Eye Exam 

Take note of the issues that your ophthalmologist brings to your attention concerning your child’s eye health. It’s really difficult to diagnose eye issues in really young children. Take note if your child squints, holds their books and toys either farther away or close to their person, or talks about frequent headaches. We’ll perform a comprehensive exam and determine the issue at hand.

Preparing Your Child for Their Eye Exam

By telling your child what to expect from their eye exam, it lessens the stress that they might experience in a new experience. Use language that your child understands to tell them about the entire process.

Who will Perform the Eye Exam on your Child?

Our pediatric eye exams are done by our staff ophthalmologist. Both our ophthalmologist and our staff can help make the eye exam process easy and free of stress. They work so that your child understands everything that happens all throughout the exam.

How Long are Pediatric Eye Exams?

That all depends on your child’s eye health, the tests that need to be performed, and their needs. After the exam, our ophthalmologist will discuss their treatment plan with you. Depending on the depth of your child’s eye health, most pediatric eye health exams will last up to 90 minutes.

What Comprises a Pediatric Eye Exam?

Our ophthalmologist will consider both your child’s visual acuity and eye health when coming up with a treatment plan. Depending on their age, they may need to read an eye chart with letters, numbers, pictures, or a combination of the three. Some of the conditions that our staff will look for include the following:

    • Crossed eyes
    • Farsightedness
    • Focusing skills
    • Lazy eye
    • Other eye health issues

During the exam, our ophthalmologist will check for eye diseases like the following:

    • Glaucoma
    • Cataracts
    • Cancer

While these diseases are mostly seen in older adults, they can occur in children. In these circumstances, early treatment of the disease is vital. At this time, the tissue and muscles around your child’s eye are tested to make sure their eyes track objects as they should. Some other issues that your ophthalmologist will look for are visual acuity problems and your child’s ability to see different colors.

Are These Eye Exams Safe for My Child?

Our staff are experts when it comes to putting children of all ages at ease when they’re in our office. The tools that our staff use to check your child’s eyes are safe and pose no risk to your child’s eyes.

We might need to put eye drops in your child’s eyes in order for them to dilate. While your child may experience a bit of discomfort at first, eventually their eyes will go back to their natural state.

Does My Child Really Need Regular Eye Exams? They Seem Fine

If your child has visual acuity issues, it might not get caught until your child goes to get an eye exam. Your children should get eye exams once a year, even if they seem fine. Those who have children with no visual problems, they can get away with an exam every 2 to 3 years. Children and teens who wear either glasses or contact lenses should get an exam on a yearly basis.

How do I Know if my Child Has Issues with their Vision?

    • Clumsiness
    • Frequent headaches
    • Holding objects close to their face
    • Losing their place when they read a book
    • Sitting really close to your television

These conditions may not necessarily act as proof that your child deals with vision issues. They could be signs of other medical problems. Or it could be another reason altogether. Coming to Campus Eye Group for an exam can be the solution to figuring out where exactly the problem lies.

Campus Eye Group Pediatric Services include:

    • Eyeglasses for children of all ages (even infants)
    • Correction of eye alignment issues
    • Contact lenses for children
    • Surgical options for certain conditions

           Call us today to schedule a consultation for your child’s eye exam 609-587-2020