What’s pediatric eye care?
Pediatric eye care is the area of optometry that covers every aspect of eye and vision health for children and adolescents, ranging from eye exams, vision screenings, and vision correction to the diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of common eye conditions and acute infections.
Like adult eye care, comprehensive eye exams and vision screenings form the cornerstone of preventive pediatric eye care. Both types of evaluation are designed to catch problems early, promote proper development, ensure optimal eye health, and protect vision.
Although many parents are most concerned about detecting vision problems or poor eyesight, routine pediatric eye care can also uncover asymptomatic ocular health problems or disorders that might require medical treatment.
What are the signs my child might have a vision problem?
As with adults, refractive errors — nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatisms — are the most common causes of childhood vision problems, especially among school-age children. Signs that your child might need vision correction include:
- Consistently sitting too close to the TV or computer screen
- Consistently holding books very close to their face
- Always using their finger to track their place on the page
- Lower reading comprehension and poorer grades than expected
- Frequent headaches, eye rubbing, and/or eyelid twitching
- Squinting or tilting their head to see better
Many school-age children who require vision correction also complain of having tired eyes or avoid reading, computer work, and other activities that make their eyes feel fatigued.
What happens during a pediatric eye exam?
A comprehensive pediatric eye exam is a relatively simple procedure that includes several components designed to cover every aspect of vision and eye health. As with an adult exam, it assesses your child’s visual acuity, peripheral vision, pupil reaction, and eye movement, as well as the surface of the eye.
On top of being specially trained to examine pediatric patients, the team at Benjamin Optical uses a unique set of tools and techniques that don’t require your child to provide answers or feedback. This is particularly useful for very young children who can’t yet speak or provide useful responses.
All of these measurements in a pediatric eye exam are gathered quickly, easily, and painlessly. The team at Benjamin Optical even has special eye charts designed with pictures, instead of letters, for young children who don’t yet know their ABCs.
When should my child have their first eye exam?
While there’s no set age recommendation for a child’s first eye exam, it’s a good idea to have it done before they start preschool or kindergarten where they’ll be asked to focus on objects, letters, words, and drawings at a distance as well as up close.
If your child is older and still hasn’t had their first eye exam, it’s never too late to protect their ocular health and check their vision.
To schedule a comprehensive eye exam for your child, call Benjamin Optical or use the easy online tool to book an appointment with one of their highly trained, friendly vision experts today.
