Children’s Eye Exams
Regular eye exams are an essential part of maintaining children's overall health and development. They can help detect and treat vision problems early on, prevent academic difficulties, identify other health conditions, detect eye diseases, and promote good eye health habits.
What To Expect at a Child’s Eye Exam
During a children's eye exam, the optometrist will perform the following tests:
Visual acuity test: Measures how well a child can see at different distances using an eye chart.
Binocular vision test: Assesses how well the eyes work together and the child's depth perception.
Eye movement test: Checks the ability of the eyes to move in all directions.
Refraction test: Determines whether the child has a refractive error, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
Eye health evaluation: Examines the overall health of the eyes, looking for any signs of disease or abnormalities.
When to Take Your Child for an Eye Exam
At Bayview Vision, we understand how the eyes grow, as well as what to look for in every stage of development. Therefore, we suggest that children get examined at these critical stages:
Infants and Toddlers
Your child should have their first eye examination between the ages of 6 and 9 months. This preliminary visit will assess your child’s basic eye health and evaluate whether your child is developing hand-eye coordination and depth perception.
Preschooler
Your child’s second eye exam should be scheduled between the ages of 2 and 5 years. During this time, we will reassess your child’s eye health and ensure they are able to properly focus their vision up close and at a distance. Binocular vision will also be assessed for any signs of strabismus (crossed eyes) and amblyopia (lazy eye).
School Age
We recommend that children aged 6 to 19 have their eyes examined on an annual basis. Myopia (nearsightedness) is common during these years, and many children are prescribed eyeglasses or contact lenses to help correct refractive disorders. Other tests include tests for eye alignment and depth perception, as well as ocular health testing.
OHIP Coverage
Eye exams for children (19 and under) are covered by OHIP on an annual basis, and kids can start getting eye exams as early as 6 months old. If you see your child struggling, please bring them in for an eye exam to see if your child’s eyes are healthy and/or whether they can benefit from glasses. It is extremely beneficial to get annual check-ups to ensure that eye development and ocular health are good!
Symptoms of Vision Difficulties
Your child may have vision problems if they exhibit any of the following symptoms:
Headaches with near work
Difficulty with reading
Difficulty copying from the board
Skips or repeats lines
Squinting
Experiences "words running together"
Frequent rubbing or blinking
Double vision
Reverses letters or words
Vision worse at the end of day
Fatigue, frustration or stress associated with schoolwork
Next Steps
If a problem is detected during the exam, the eye doctor may recommend treatment, such as glasses, contact lenses, vision therapy, or other specialized treatments.
It's important to schedule regular eye exams for your child even if they do not have any obvious vision problems, as some eye conditions may not have noticeable symptoms. Early detection and treatment can help to prevent long-term vision problems and ensure that your child's eyes are healthy and functioning properly.
Give us a call or click here to arrange an eye exam for your child.