Pediatric and Infant Eye Exams

The American Optometric Assocation recommends children have their first eye exam before the age of one. The next exam should be between the ages of 3 and 5. Most importantly a child should have their eyes examined before first grade and annually thereafter. Dr. Lucas Wilson is an InfantSEE provider, which provides free eye exams to children under the age of one.  

In addition to basic visual acuity (distance and near vision, or refractive errors) an child's exam may assess the following visual skills that are required for learning and mobility:

• Binocular vision (eye teaming and eye focusing)

• Color Vision

• Tracking

• Eye health

Undetected or uncorrected vision issues can cause children and teens to suffer academically, socially, athletically and personally. If your child is having trouble in school or after school activities there could be an underlying vision problem. Additional symptoms include:

• Short attention span

• Headaches

• Frequent blinking

• Avoiding reading

• Tilting head to one side

• Losing their place while reading

• Double vision

• Poor reading comprehension

If the doctor does determine that your child has a vision problem, they may discuss a number of therapeutic options such as glasses, contact lenses or vision therapy. Since some conditions are much easier to treat when they are caught early while the eyes are still developing, it is important to diagnose any eye and vision issues as early as possible.