The Importance of a Child’s Eye Exam

Eye exams are important for everyone, but they are crucial for children. Children need to be able to see properly to succeed in school. Our optometrists in Johnstown, Westerville, and Lewis Center are licensed eye doctors who preform comprehensive pediatric eye exams for kids, checking for a wide range of diseases that are often missed with a basic visual screening.
 

Success at School

Children need to be able to see to be successful in school, as much as 90% of all learning is visual. Without a proper eye exam, they run the risk of slipping through the cracks academically. As a successful student, a child must have an eye exam every 2 years with an optometrist, or annually if they require glasses or contact lenses. Our eye doctors in Johsntown, Westerville, and Lewis Center are ready to help check the eye health of your child.
 

To be successful, the eyes of a child need to:
 

• have a perfect visual sense for all distances
• correct and comfortable eye movement
• ability to accurately and comfortably focus

Common problems assessed with a pediatric eye exam :
 

• Lazy Eye
• misalignment of eyes
• not able to keep alignment with near objects
• inability to focus
• incorrect depth perception
• color vision problems
• eyelid health
• Safety Issues

Parents want to protect their children from any danger or future harm. When considering their sight, regular eye exams are essential for their eye safety and vision. If a child cannot see well, they run the risk of accidents that can cause serious harm to them, they are at a disadvantage at school, and they can potentially be increasing their risk of eye diseases later in life without the proper precautions.

Most children do not catch that something is wrong, on their own, with their vision. They become used to the subtle changes, often times not even noticing anything has happened. This makes it even more important to schedule regular eye exams, even if you aren’t sure that the child needs it.
 

How Often Should My Child Have An Eye Exam?

Infants also need to be screened by an optometrist. At 6 months old, your infant should begin with their first eye exam. The next eye exam should be at 3 years, then another before first grade. School aged children should have regular eye exams every 2 years if they do not need glasses or contacts. If they need corrective measures, they should have an exam every year. If the child has health issues, such as diabetes, they should be seen every year as well.
 

In conclusion, with the switch to digital learning and using electronics more, the rise in visual abnormalities has risen as well. The written text used before did not tax the eyes as much as the screen light is doing now. This brings a increased need for an eye exam for school aged children because more than ever before our children are facing significant vision issues that need to be addressed as early as possible.
 

Our eye care clinics in Westerville, Johnstown, and Lewis Center, are the ideal place to schedule your back to school eye exam. Our eye doctors are passionate and kid friendly, and our staff and opticians go above and beyond to make sure that every patient, no matter the age, walks out with a smile on their face.