When Should Your Child Have an Eye Exam?

JEFFREY H. COHEN, M.D.

Eye problems in children often go undetected.  Recognizing common childhood eye disorders can assist parents in early detection so they can seek appropriate medical eye care for their youngster. During early childhood years, the visual system changes quickly and vision continues to develop. If a child cannot use his or her eyes normally, vision does not develop properly and may even decrease. The visual system is most often fully developed after the first 9 years of life and usually cannot be changed

Most children have healthy, normal eyes, but a few are born with serious eye diseases or disorders, some of which may not be obvious. In most cases, these problems can be identified-and treated-even during the first few days of life.  But without early intervention, usually before the age of five, a child with an untreated eye problem may suffer from serious vision loss, or even blindness.

Any parent who thinks that their child may have a vision or eye problem should have their child’s eyes examined by their pediatrician, family physician or an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Every child, even those without noticeable eye problems, should have an eye examination before his or her fifth birthday.

Toddlers should be screened for common childhood eye problems, such as strabismus (crossed eyes or wandering eyes), amblyopia (better known as lazy eye), as well as refractive errors such as nearsightedness (myopia) and excessive farsightedness (hyperopia).  Children should be seen younger than age 5 if there is a family history of childhood vision problems, or if they appear to have wandering or crossed eyes.

Remember, early detection and treatment of amblyopia or lazy eye can prevent permanent vision loss.