It’s always a good idea to visit your eye doctor at least once a year. That’s the general wisdom for adults – but what about for children? Sending a child to the eye doctor, especially before he or she can speak, might seem a bit odd. In reality, though, there is a fairly routine schedule that is thought of as adequate for children when it comes to testing their vision. This schedule helps the eye doctor not only to make sure that the child can see clearly, but helps him or her get on the path to proper pediatric eye health for the rest of their lives.
Generally speaking, most doctors want a child to have his or her first eye exam done around the age of six months. This is a simple diagnostic to make sure that the child’s vision is normal and that he or she does not have any particular eye issues that will become a problem in the future. With that said, this first eye exam can actually inform a number of other requirements that will happen during the child’s life, as any problems discovered at that first exam will generally require the child to be brought in to a ophthalmologist more frequently.
The next appointment will generally take place around the age of three, again to check in on development and make sure that there are no pressing issues. If the child is diabetic, his or her diabetic eye care may be a bit more involved – but the average child will merely come in for the same kind of vision testing that they’ll see throughout the rest of their lives. This is the age at which many children will start to show at least some level of vision problems, and might even lead to the child wearing glasses in the near future.
Most children will also have at least one more eye exam before starting school – usually around the age of five. By this point, it is clear whether the child has vision problems and most who do have issues will receive their first pair of glasses by this point. While it is entirely possible that a child can develop vision problems later in life, it is important to note that this is the visit that will likely play the biggest role in their short-term academic future. Everything from getting glasses to needing to sit near the front of the classroom will likely be determined at this meeting.
After those early visits, you should expect that your child will need to see a local eye specialist Fort Worth parents trust at least once a year. If your child has vision problems or diabetes, those visits may even need to be more frequent. What’s important, though, is that these earlier visits allow the child to become comfortable with having his or her vision tested. Doing so makes them less reluctant to visit the doctor and more likely to follow his or her advice so that they can continue to have healthy vision throughout their lives.
For any questions about your child’s vision needs, call the Marvel Eye Center today. 817-346-7333
