Eye Exam For Children

As a parent, you may wonder whether your preschooler has a vision problem or when you should schedule your child's first eye exam.

Eye exams for children are extremely important, because 5 to 10 percent of preschoolers and 25 percent of school-aged children have vision problems.* Early identification of a child's vision problem can be crucial because children often are more responsive to treatment when problems are diagnosed early.

For school-aged children, the American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends an eye exam every two years if no vision correction is required. Children who need eyeglasses or contact lenses should be examined annually or as recommended by their optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Early eye examinations are crucial to make surechildren have normal, healthy vision so they can perform better at schoolwork or play.

To read more about eye exam for children click here.

Early eye exams also are important because children need the following basic skills related to good eyesight for learning:

• Near vision
• Distance vision
• Binocular (two eyes) coordination
• Eye movement skills
• Focusing skills
• Peripheral awareness
• Hand-eye coordination

Signs of Vision Problems in Children

1. Gets headaches when reading or writing

2. Words slide together or get blurry when reading

3. Reads below grade level

4. Loses place while reading

5. Tilts head or closes an eye when reading

6. Hard to copy from the blackboard at school

7. Doesn’t like reading or writing

8. Leaves out small words when reading

9. Hard to write in a straight line

10. Burning, itching, or watery eyes

11. Hard to understand what he/she has read

12. Holds book very close

13. Hard to pay attention when reading

14. Hard to finish assignments on time

15. Gives up easily (says “I can’t” before trying)

16. Bumps into things, knocks things over

17. Homework takes too long

18. Daydreams in class

19. In trouble for being off task at school

20. Seem to have difficulty finding or picking up small objects dropped on the floor (after the age of 12 months)

21. Has difficulty focusing or making eye contact

22. Eyes appear to be crossed or turned

23. Closes one eye when trying to look at distant objects

It’s always a good idea to get your child’s eyes checked on an annual or bi-annual basis, but here are some signs you can look for that may indicate that your child is having vision problems.

If your child is experiencing vision problems, click here to schedule an appointment for an eye exam at through our convenient online scheduling feature or visit us at 20/20Eyeglass Superstore.