An eye exam for a child is a professional examination and evaluation of the quality of their vision and the health of their eyes. A pediatric ophthalmologist or a pediatric optometrist typically performs this examination.

Your family doctor or pediatrician can perform a brief vision screening or examination on your child, but this is not a substitute for a comprehensive exam. Pediatric optometrists and ophthalmologists have specialized skills and tools to thoroughly examine your child's vision and eye health.

Why Are Eye Exams Important for Kids?

The eyes are arguably the most important of the senses because they help us move around and communicate. It is much more important in children because 80% of their learning is through their vision.

With poor eyesight, a child will fall back socially and academically, impacting their future significantly. Additionally, the visual system in children is developing at a fast rate, and it is in these early years that many conditions also first set in.

All these make eye exams essential to keeping track of the visual development in kids. With an eye exam, the eye doctor can detect conditions as they develop. With the information, they can take steps to stop the conditions and manage them early. For these reasons, eye doctors recommend the first eye exam at six years old.

What Tests Happen in a Pediatric Eye Exam?

Pediatric eye doctors' tests on children change as they age and their cognitive skills develop. Children from six months to two years old have specific tests, while older children from three years have their own.

Six Months to Two Years

The eye doctor will use three main tests, each for a specific visual skill:

Pupil Response

The pupil is the area of the eye responsible for letting light into the eye, changing with the brightness of the light you focus on. The eye doctor will test how your child's pupils respond to the light and whether it is healthy.

Fixate and Follow

This visual skill develops early in childhood, and it is the ability to fixate on an object and follow it as it moves. Fixation develops within the first month of life and follows three months later.

Preferential Looking

This test is equivalent to the more advanced visual acuity tests. The eye doctor uses cards that are striped on one side and blank on the other to measure the child's ability to recognize the change.

Preschool to Five Years

Once a child gets to three years old, their visual systems have developed significantly, and the eye doctor can use more advanced tests. At this time, they usually begin to develop eye conditions that could impact their future eye health. The test that the eye doctor will use include those that measure:

• Visual acuity

• Convergence

• Eye tracking

• Ocular health

• Color vision

• 3D vision or stereopsis

• Lazy eye

These are critical for healthy vision and development and preparing them for their academic life.

For more on the importance of pediatric eye exams, visit Raleigh Eye Center at our offices in Raleigh, Durham, Reidsville, North Carolina, or South Hill, Virginia. Call (919) 876-2427 to book an appointment today.