Blog Hero

The Importance of Pediatric Eye Exams

Book Appointment

When it comes to pediatric care, parents are usually concerned with finding the best pediatrician and following their medical advice exactly, but what about pediatric eye care? Eye care for kids is sometimes an area parents overlook because they aren’t always aware of the importance of eye health for children. Many don’t seek eye exams for their children until either the child reports having difficulty seeing at school, or the child’s grades begin to slip and parents take a closer look at why their child isn’t developing academically.

Experts recommend that children receive several eye exams before starting school. Infants should receive their first comprehensive eye exam around six months of age. Children should have an eye exam around age three, and again when they reach age five or six. Before reaching first grade, parents are strongly encouraged to have their children receive a full eye exam to make sure the child has no visual problems as they start elementary school.

Eye exams for young children are important because vision problems can negatively affect a child’s performance in school long before you are aware of the issue. The American Optometric Association reports that 5 to 10 percent of preschoolers and 25 percent of school-age children are diagnosed with vision problems once they receive proper eye care. Experts are always stressing the significance of appropriate early education and full participation from youngsters in programs and learning that will become a foundation for critical skills. Children risk not being able to fully participate if they are experiencing undiagnosed visual impairments. An early eye exam and regular eye care for children can alleviate this potential problem.

Identifying eye problems early is crucial to the child’s learning and development in school. A child with poor vision may have difficulty with seeing text and comprehending words causing difficulty in reading. No parent wants their child to be frustrated with reading, especially when most vision problems are easily fixed with glasses. Unable to explain problems in a group, children may choose not to volunteer for reading in class out of embarrassment, or opt out of picking a library book because it’s hard to see. This will negatively affect academic achievement and the enjoyment that comes with reading for many children.

Other symptoms of learning-related vision problems include headaches or eyestrain, short attention span for visual tasks, difficulty identifying or reproducing shapes, poor hand-eye coordination, and developmental delay. Talk to your family eye care professional about scheduling eye care visits for your children. They will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about your child’s eye health, and let you know when is a good time to start doing regular check-ups.

Insights Optical

Written by Insights Optical

At Insights Optical, you and your eyes are our priority. We believe getting to know you and your unique vision needs while providing access to innovative diagnosis and treatment technologies is the ideal way to take care of you and your eyes.

More Articles By Insights Optical

Discover the Optomap
Retinal Imaging Difference

Optomap Retinal Imaging is an essential part of every eye exam we complete at Insights Optical. By taking a high-definition photo of the back of your eye, called the retina, we can gain valuable information about your health.

In less than 1 second, Optomap allows us to take a 200o photo that gives an ultrawide 82% view of your retina all at once. Retinal imaging not only helps us find signs of eye diseases, but can tell us if you’re at risk of other health issues like stroke, heart disease, and diabetes

Get Comfortable Vision with Neurolens

Neurolens is an innovative new technology we use to diagnose and treat eye misalignment accurately. Eye misalignment can cause headaches, eye strain, and blurred vision. 

Neurolens vision correction begins with an accurate and efficient measurement of your unique eye alignment. We can then use those measurements to create your personalized Neurolenses to help you overcome your eye misalignment symptoms.

With Neurolens, we can correct eye misalignment and reduce the severity of your symptoms. Using a contoured prism design, Neurolens seamlessly adjusts the image your eyes see, making vision comfortable. Get in touch with us to learn if Neurolens is right for you.

Our Locations

Bloomington

Find our Bloomington location on S. Clarizz Boulevard just south of East 3rd Street and across the street from College Mall.

  • 415 S. Clarizz Blvd.
  • Bloomington, IN 47401

Mitchell

Our Mitchell location is located right on W. Main Street across from Mitchell Fitness Center and just down the road from Mitchell Public Library.

  • 725 W. Main St.
  • Mitchell, IN 47446

Our Gallery

Our Blog

instagram facebook facebook2 pinterest twitter google-plus google linkedin2 yelp youtube phone location calendar share2 link star-full star star-half chevron-right chevron-left chevron-down chevron-up envelope fax