Very young children are welcome at our offices. We see them starting at age 6 months old.
The AOA recommends the first eye examination at 6 months of age! This is to try and prevent eye diseases and visual decreases at a very young age. Particularly amblyopia or decreased vision due to an undetected prescription or eye turn!
A few points to consider...
- With no other comparison, young children do not realize that they cannot see like you.
- Vision is learned. Without the stimulus to the brain to learn to see 20/20 a child may never see 20/20 EVEN WITH THEIR GLASSES!
- The visual system is pretty firmly "wired" and learned by the age of about 2 1/2 years old! Therefore any large prescriptions, differences between the eyes or congenital diseases must be corrected to prevent vision loss!
- Screenings for vision at the school or at the pediatrician ARE NOT EYE EXAMINATIONS! They generally are only screening for decreases in distance vision, color vision, and occasionally muscle balance. The guidelines for pass in most screenings is 20/40 or better!!
- Missed vision problems can inhibit your child’s ability to learn to read and progress well in school!
- 3 to 5 % of the population under 6 years old suffers from amblyopia! This is permanently reduced vision in one or both eyes.
Eye exams are important yearly health examinations!