When Should My Child Have A First Eye Exam?

Everyone at Skyvision Centers gets asked this question, both in the office and outside in the regular world: when should my child have a first eye exam?   Lots of kids, maybe even most kids, get a screening exam as part of their school experience, but even with that, is there an age when a child should have a complete eye exam?

There are two very definite answers to that question. If you have a family history of Amblyopia (lazy eye) or Strabismus (an eye that turns), then children in your family should have a complete eye exam at age 3. This is especially important if a brother or sister is the one with the eye problem.

Even if your child has had an exam at age 3, the doctors at Skyvision Centers think that EVERY child should have a complete eye exam just before starting kidnergarten or 1st grade. This exam is much more extensive than any eye screening exam and will find even small problems that might need to be solved. In addition, a potential problem might be found that would make the doctor suggest an earlier follow-up exam.

Vision is important for everyone, but it is especially important for your children as they enter their school years. A complete eye exam is part of a healthy approach to life!

How Often For Eye Exams?

Dr. White came back to the office the other day after a dentist appointment. Apparently the dentist was unhappy with our good Doctor. It seems that it had been a little more than a year since Dr. White had been in to have his teeth checked, and the dentist said it should be every 6 months. That got us to thinking: how often should you have your eyes checked?

Every infant has an eye exam performed by a pediatrician before leaving the hospital. This exam rules out any major, obvious problems that can be visible at birth. From that time on a child is examined during well-baby and well-child checks by the pediatrician. In the United States almost all schools test vision at some time around the beginning of first grade and then every few years after that.

While this is wonderful for screening purposes, the doctors at Skyvision Centers feel very strongly that EVERY child should have a complete eye exam performed by an eye doctor, either an ophthalmologist or an optometrist, before starting kindergarten or first grade. If there is a history of eye problems like amblyopia (lazy eye) in the family, an exam at age three should be performed. Children without any eye problems who do not need to wear glasses should then be examined at school junctures: grade school to middle school, middle school to high school, high school to college.

Every day we see an adult who hasn't had an eye exam since leaving high school! Adults under the age of 40 should have a complete exam at least every 4 or 5 years. At the age of 40 there are some eye diseases and problems that start to develop that don't have any symptoms. We suggest that adults between 40 and 60 get an exam every 2 years. After age 60 EVERYONE should have a complete exam every year!

So there you have it, a roadmap to healthy eyes over your lifetime, courtesy of Skyvision Centers and Dr. White's dentist!