Eye exams are recommended for children starting at the age of 6 months. Children’s routine eye exams will allow you to ensure your child’s vision development milestones are progressing well. Regular eye exams in children are important because many eye conditions have a better prognosis if diagnosed and treated early in a child’s life during critical developmental stages.
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It is important for parents to know that oftentimes, there are no signs that their child has vision problems. Research data show that one in five children will have an ocular problem that their parents will be unaware of.
For example, if a child has clear vision in one eye and weaker vision in the other, they will become dependent on the better eye and their weaker eye will unknowingly become worse over time. If this is left untreated, the weaker eye could end up with permanent vision loss.
Your optometrist can use different techniques to assess vision, even if the patient can’t speak or recognize letters.
A child’s eye exam includes tests that assess depth perception, color vision, focusing abilities, eye muscle balance, and eye health.