What is a Children’s Eye Exam?
A comprehensive children’s eye exam evaluates visual acuity and diagnoses eye conditions and diseases. It consists of tests that check for reduced vision, tracking issues, misaligned eyes, refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism), focusing problems, poor depth perception, color deficiencies, and eye diseases. Each part of the exam provides important information about your child’s eye health.
What is the difference between vision screening and a comprehensive children’s eye exam?
A vision screening is often a simplified visual acuity test that quantifies your child’s ability to distinguish print, details, and shapes from a specific distance. Screenings are often offered at schools, community health centers, and community events. Although vision screenings serve as an efficient way to measure visual acuity, it does not qualitatively tell us how efficiently and comfortably your child can see. Children with unmanaged vision problems can often result in misdiagnosed learning or behavioral issues. This is why school vision screenings are not enough.
What to expect
We begin with a vision screening using eye chart tests, pictures, or letters and then move on to pretesting to get your child ready for our Oakland Optometrist, who will perform a refraction to confirm if they will need corrective lenses or an updated eyeglass prescription for their visual needs. With your permission, your Oakland optometrist will dilate your child’s pupils to have the health of their eyes thoroughly evaluated and checked for any eye conditions such as amblyopia (poor vision resulting in a lazy eye), congenital cataracts and ocular tumors. After completing their comprehensive eye exam, be prepared to have an honest discussion about their vision and how their eyes look. You’ll leave your visit knowing more about your child’s eyes than when you came in and together, we will create a plan on how to keep your child’s eyes healthy and seeing the best they can.
How often to schedule your child’s eye exam
We recommend that your child have an eye exam every year to ensure that they continue to maintain healthy eyes and optimal vision to achieve their full potential.
How does a Children’s Eye Exam improve your child’s visual health?
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), 1 in 5 preschoolers have vision problems and by the time they enter school, 25% will need or wear corrective lenses. Annual children’s eye exams allow us to determine if they’re experiencing any vision issues that can lead to problems behaving and paying attention in school.
What are the benefits of a regular Children’s Eye Exam?
There are several benefits associated with regular children’s eye exams:
Ensure that your child is seeing their best.
Your child’s vision gets stronger each year. Their improved vision is needed as they begin school and explore the world more. Annual eye exams are effective in monitoring your child's vision over time. If there are any changes in their eyeglass prescription, replacing your child’s glasses as needed will make a big difference in their academic performance.
Discuss any concerns that you have about how to protect your child’s visual health.
It is normal for parents to have questions or concerns about their child’s vision. Regular eye exams provide the opportunity to get the answers you need and be proactive about how to prevent any future vision problems. You can protect your child’s eyes with getting routine eye exams, wearing sunglasses and hats when outdoors, increasing outdoor play time to reduce your child’s risk for increasing myopia (nearsightedness), and placing reading material at arm’s length to reduce eye strain and fatigue.
Detect eye conditions and diseases in their early stages.
It is important to know that your child’s eyes are healthy and free of any eye diseases. Congenital droopy lids, cataracts, glaucoma, and ocular tumors can cause blindness at a very early age. More commonly known childhood vision problems include refractive errors, strabismus, and amblyopia. Refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism) cause blurry vision and difficulty seeing at distance, up close, or both. If a child does not see properly for a long period of time, they can develop amblyopia, an eye condition that results in permanent poor vision if left untreated. Early treatment allows us to preserve their eyesight and minimize the future impact on your child’s well-being.
Confirm that your child’s eyes are developing normally.
The first 6 years of your child’s life are the most critical for proper eye development. Vision problems can affect a baby’s development and can lead to delayed milestones. As your child grows, their developing eye is learning to do things better like seeing things in 3D, quickly change focus between distance and near objects, track and follow moving targets, and converge their eyes to focus at the same time. Enhanced eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills should be more evident by ages 3-4. And by age 6, children should be able to recognize letters and objects, follow words from left to right, and have good depth perception to play sports and to navigate the world more confidently. Keep an eye out for signs like squinting, blinking, head tilting, and tendency to avoid reading. Let’s work together to make sure your child is reaching their developmental milestones.
At this time, our office can accommodate patients aged 5 and up. If your child needs corrective lenses, we offer a variety of Jonas Paul Eyewear to ensure their glasses are stylish and comfortable. Contact us to schedule your child’s eye exam today!
Children’s Eye Exams
Children’s eye exams play an important role in optimizing your child’s visual development and well-being. From birth through the teenage years, children's eyes are growing and rapidly changing. Children are not always able to tell us when something may be wrong with their vision or eyes because they most likely do not know what normal, comfortable vision looks like. Symptoms of reduced vision may even go unnoticed by parents and teachers; therefore, it is important to have routine annual eye exams to detect vision problems that may interfere with your child’s ability to comfortably see, socialize with their peers, and understand written classroom material.
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Founder, Optometrist
Dr. Diana Pham
Eye Exams
Children’s Eye Exams & Screenings
Detect vision problems and eye conditions that can interfere with your child’s ability to read, socialize, and excel in academics.
