It can be difficult to know if or when your child needs to see an eye care provider, but most experts agree – including Dr. Judy Gandara of Quality Family Eye Care – that eye exams performed during regular wellness visits help protect your child’s vision while providing useful information about his or her eye health.
Unbeknownst to many, children’s vision health begins when they’re newborns in the nursery and should, ideally, continue throughout childhood. For many kids, an evaluation by a pediatrician may be sufficient, but if a child comes from a line of family vision or eye problems, he or she may need to have an official eye exam.
Quality Family Eye Care Fun Fact: Even without risk factors or family history of vision issues, children need their eyes checked at six months, three years and before first grade at a minimum.
Understanding the Importance of Eye Exams
Most states in this country require children to have an eye exam prior to beginning public school, but should a pediatrician not see a particular problem during this exam, there can still be other signs that your child needs a more thorough one.
From our vast experience, we can tell any parents reading this blog that the symptoms of possible vision problems in children include:
- Taking longer than normal to complete homework
- Poor school performance
- Headaches or eye pain
- Lack of interest in even going to school
- Blurry or double vision
- Difficulty paying attention
- Issues seeing information on the chalkboard
- Difficulty when reading and writing
Some experts suggest that including an eye exam as part of each annual physical may be all a child ever needs; however, Dr. Gandara stresses that if a child shows symptoms of vision problems or has family members who wear glasses, he or she may need to visit an eye care specialist for a thorough examination that covers all bases.
What a Child – and His or Her Parents – Can Expect During an Eye Exam
Pediatric groups in the U.S. have developed a national standard when it comes to children’s eye exams, and we here at Quality Family Eye Care concur. Indeed, children’s eye exams should include the following components:
- Inspection of the Eye Itself – The eye doctor will inspect the eyes and eyelids, examine the various eye muscle movements and observe the pupils and reflection of light from the back of the eye.
- Ophthalmoscope – This relates more to older children, wherein the doctor will examine the back of the eye.
- Corneal Light Reflex Testing – The doctor, using a small flashlight, will look at the spot where the light is reflected from the front surface of the eye, called the cornea.
- Cover Testing – This test detects misalignment of the eyes.
- Age Appropriate Visual Acuity Testing – The doctor, using an eye chart, will ask the child to read numerous lines of characters.
If you are in need of premium pediatric eye care, look no further than the optometrist San Antonio has been waiting for, Dr. Judy Gandara of Quality Family Eye Care. Call us today at (210) 996-2008 to book an appointment for your child.