Healthy eyes and vision are a critical part of kids’ development. As kids are young and naïve they will not be able to take proper care of their eyes. It is the parent’s duty that they take proper care of their child’s eyes.
Regular eye check up helps detect any kind of eye problem at an early age. Early detection leads to early treatment and prevention of further damage to eyes.
Eye Exams
- Routine medical exams for kids’ vision include:
- Newborns should be checked for general eye health by a pediatrician or family physician in the hospital nursery.
- High-risk newborns (including premature infants), those with a family history of eye problems, should be regularly checked by a eye doctor. Also, it is necessary that an eye doctor examine children suffering from eye irregularities at regular intervals.
- In the first year of life, all infants should be routinely screened for eye health during checkups with their doctors.
- Around age 3 ½, kids should undergo eye health screenings and visual acuity tests (or tests that measure sharpness of vision) with their doctors.
- Around age 5, kids should have their vision and eye alignment evaluated by their doctors.
- Many times, a teacher will realize the child isn’t seeing well in class. Take such complaints very seriously. It is very necessary that children get their eyes checked after the appearance of symptoms such as squinting or frequent headaches.
- Kids who wear prescription glasses or contacts should have annual checkups to screen for vision changes.
Spotting Eye Problems
1) In school-age children, watch for other signs such as:
2) Inability to see objects at a distance
3) Inability to read the blackboard
4) Squinting
5) Difficulty reading
6) Sitting too close to the TV.
Watch your child for evidence of poor vision or crossed eyes. If you notice any eye problems, have your child examined immediately so that the problem doesn’t become permanent. If caught early, eye conditions often can be reversed.
