Eye experts insist that a short vision and eye screening is not a replacement for proper pediatric eye exams. Your children’s performance at school depends on the health of their eyes and vision. The American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus says that pediatric eye exams can give children an edge in life. If you want to further understand the importance of routine pediatric eye exams, here’s what you need to know.

 

Enhances Your Child’s School Performance

Any issues with eyes and vision can interfere with your child’s performance at school. These problems could even compromise your child’s safety in and out of the classroom. For children to do good in school, they have to possess the following visual skills:

• Comfortable and precise eye coordination

• Exemplary vision at every distance

• Pleasant and accurate focusing

• Precise eye movement

You should schedule routine pediatric eye exams when your child reaches six months old. The next eye exams will be at three years old. Then another should follow at five or six years old, just before starting first grade. If they do not need vision correction, your school-aged children must get an eye exam at least every two years. Otherwise, they should have a yearly routine pediatric eye examination.

 

Catches Eye Issues Early

Eye experts say that routine pediatric eye exams can help catch the various eye and vision problems early. Some of them are:

• Convergence insufficiency. If your child is experiencing double vision or eye discomfort, there might be an issue of convergence insufficiency. This condition is characterized by the eye’s inability to maintain proper alignment when looking at nearby objects.

• Color blindness and focusing issues. Your pediatric eye doctor may also examine your child’s depth perception, ability to focus, and color vision. These abilities are important for your child’s proper learning especially during the early years of education.

• Strabismus. Issues with eye muscle control can cause strabismus (misaligned or crossed eyes). This eye condition can also cause amblyopia. Eye specialists say that strabismus should be caught and treated during early childhood. Doing so will lead to the normal development of eye and vision coordination.

• Amblyopia. Also known as "lazy eye", amblyopia is a decrease in vision in either one or both eyes. This condition does not show any physical damage in your child’s eye structure.

• Other eye health problems. During the exam, your pediatric eye doctor will examine your child’s eyes and eyelids for swelling, infection, bumps, and eye discharge. Your specialist will also check your child’s cornea, lens, and iris to see if there are any irregularities such as opacities.
  
   

Uses Special Methods

Instead of using letters, LEA symbols are on the eye chart. These symbols can have a circle, an apple, a house, or a square. Random dot stereopsis and retinoscopy are also helpful in evaluating your child’s vision and eye health.



 

Routine pediatric eye exams can determine whether your child has eye and vision issues or not. At Premier Eye Care, we are always ready to make your child’s routine pediatric eye exams safe, fun, and comfortable. You can visit our clinic in Fort Worth, Texas, for a one-on-one consultation. Please call us at 817-428-2020 if you want to set an appointment or ask questions about our routine pediatric eye exams.