Eye exams for children before the school season
As children grow and change, their eyesight changes too. Whether they spend a lot of time in front of smart screens or have problems seeing further objects, it’s crucial to check their vision and eye health at any age. As their parent, you should know the importance of scheduling an eye exam for children before the school season.
The child’s eye exam would include some of the following steps:
- Medical history
- Eye muscle test.
- Binocular vision test.
- Color vision test.
- Visual field test.
- Eye pressure test.
- Visual acuity testing.
- A full examination of the eye’s internal structures.
How Often Should the Child Have an Eye Exam?
According to (AOA) the American Optometric Association, children should have many eye exams depending on their age, their eye exams use this schedule:
- One eye exam between 6 to 12 months old.
- One eye exam between 3 to 5 years old.
- Annual exams from 6 to 18 years old.
The child should have the annual exam once they start school. Many experts recommend performing an eye exam for children before the start of every school year. This will help the optometrists to identify any eye problem even before it affects the child's performance in school.
The importance of eye exams for children before the school season
Checking for eyes diseases
One of the core motives of eye exams is the ability to detect any eye diseases that could be developing. Optometrists will examine your child's eyes for any evidence of certain problems that could be emerging. This gives them the chance to get an idea of the child's eye health and start performing any treatment that may be required. Surgery could be also scheduled to guarantee to maintain the problems before they start to escalate over time. Many different eye problems are easier to treat at an early age rather than later on in life.
Keep informed about Prescriptions
Eye exams will give children a new prescription for their eyeglasses which ensure the perfect eye vision for them. Especially since a lot of children don’t notice if their vision is changing. This will indeed affect their performance at school and their engagement in other activities throughout the week. That’s why getting a new prescription is the best thing to do since it may correct the children's vision problems and improve their ability to complete different types of tasks effectively. Many cases of developmental delays are fixed once the child’s glasses prescription is updated.
Address Complaints
Annual eye exams give children the opportunity to address any complaints they may have about their vision, whether the eyes have a habit of getting dry or they’re always irritated. The optometrist will get to the root of any problems whether it’s minor or major.
As we have mentioned, the comprehensive eye exam includes numerous tests to assess the child’s eye health and vision. Since many eye conditions usually develop at a young age, an eye exam will help protect the child’s eye health and vision from worsening.