Pediatric Eye Care
Posted by: Invision Optometry in Category Children's Eye Care
How to Protect Your Child’s Vision for a Lifetime
Pediatric eye care is a specialized type of eye care that focuses on the visual development and vision care of children. When it comes to eye care, your child needs to be treated differently than an adult. From common childhood conditions such as amblyopia (poor visual development) and strabismus (misaligned eyes) to more complex pediatric disorders such as retinal and orbital tumors, glaucoma or cataracts, it is important to ensure that your child’s eyes remain healthy. Be proactive by taking your infant in for a comprehensive eye exam. Healthy vision can provide your child with a lifetime of sights to experience. So, how can you best nurture and protect their vision? Just as your child will learn to use their legs and feet to walk, their eyes develop overtime. With so many milestones that occur in sight development within the first two years of your child’s life, getting a comprehensive pediatric eye exam as early as possible is the best way to protect their vision.
A Baby’s Visual System Develops Gradually Over The First Few Months Of Life…
Comprehensive Pediatric Eye Exams
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA) (2017), one in five preschoolers have vision problems (Pg. 2). Also, one in four children wear some type of corrective eyewear. The American Optometric Association has published “Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines: Comprehensive Pediatric Eye and Vision Examination“. This gives Optometrists across the United States specific guidelines on what a comprehensive pediatric examination should be. It includes: the nature and history of presenting problems, the patients’ and families’ eye and medical histories, measurement of seeing ability with various methods depending on the age of the child, measuring the prescription of the eye, assessment of how the two eyes work both in movement and focusing, measuring color vision and finally assessment of the ocular health both inside and outside the eye.
Well Baby Checks
At Invision Optometry, we encourage all new parents to bring in their children between birth and 6 months of age for a free, “Well Baby” check. This exam focuses on the early diagnosis of eye turns, finding differences in the prescription in the two eyes and poor eye muscle coordination. Any of these eye health conditions could cause a reduction in seeing ability in later life.
Protect Your Child’s Vision for a Lifetime…
Early Prevention
Early intervention and treatment of these conditions can make a difference in a child’s ability to visually function in life, and the earlier the better. If you would like to take advantage of our “Well Baby” check, please call our office at (619) 222-2020 and schedule your appointment for your son or daughter today.
References:
American Optometric Association (AOA). (2017). EVIDENCE-BASED CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINE COMPREHENSIVE PEDIATRIC EYE AND VISION EXAMINATION. Retrieved from https://www.aoa.org/Documents/AOA%20Peds%20Guidline%20Brief%202017_FINAL%20v4.pdf
