Having good eyesight is an essential component of your children’s well-being. Without healthy vision, your child is at a disadvantage both developmentally and academically. This is why Park Slope Eye emphasizes the need to take a proactive approach to your children’s visual health from when they are very young. In today’s post, Park Slope Eye, your trusted provider of dry eye treatment and other eye conditions, explains why it’s important to have your child undergo regular vision screenings.
When to Have Vision Screenings
All newborns undergo vision screening upon their birth. This includes performing the red reflex test to identify unequal or high-degree refractive errors and congenital sight-threatening conditions. We’ll dim the lights first and hold an ophthalmoscope half a meter away from one eye and do the same for the other. We should see a red circle of the same size, color, and brightness in both eyes; irregularities may indicate an underlying vision problem.
When your baby is six months old, your trusted pediatric eye doctor should perform a second vision screening, and a third when your child turns three years old. Regular eye exams check eye alignment, visual acuity, and oculomotor skills.
Before your child enters school, an optometrist, ophthalmologist or a pediatrician may conduct another vision screening. In fact, this is usually included as part of school requirements. This helps us detect lazy eye, refractive errors and other common childhood eyesight problems that may interfere with your child’s education. If we find signs of any underlying eye conditions, we will recommend a comprehensive eye exam for a more thorough evaluation.
Vision Screenings and Comprehensive Eye Exams
Vision screenings provide a quick, general assessment of your children’s visual health. The main goal of a vision screening is to establish your child’s risk of developing certain eyesight problems. If we detect a refractive error during your screening, we can recommend eyeglasses, contact lenses or other vision correction methods. A comprehensive eye exam is a more thorough evaluation of your child’s eyes. We’ll perform various tests to check the different components of your child’s eyes.
For more information about pediatric eye exams, complete our form to schedule an appointment. We serve Brooklyn, NY, and nearby areas.
