Children’s Eye Exams | Coastal Family Eyecare

Focusing on Your Family

It’s never too early to focus on your children’s eye health and vision. Their sense of sight is important at every age and every stage of development.

Not to worry if your child is nervous about their eye exam. Our optometrists are experienced with children and can put them at ease. Many kids even think their eye exams are fun! And, if your child does need glasses, we offer a wide selection of colors and styles that will make them smile.

Book their appointment today to set them up for success—and a lifetime of healthy vision.

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When Do Children Need Eye Exams?

The American Optometric Association recommends that children have exams at the following intervals:

A comprehensive exam to establish a baseline between the ages of 6 and 12 months
Another comprehensive exam as they grow and develop between the ages of 3 and 5
Annual, comprehensive exams starting before 1st grade and continuing until adulthood

Proper vision is essential for children’s success—in life and academics. Beyond just seeing what’s in front of them at school, visual skills are needed for social, cognitive, and motor skill development.

Book their eye exam today!

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Valuable Visual Skills

Children aren’t born with the visual skills they need—they develop them over time, just like they develop the ability to walk and talk.

Good visual skills are essential to learning. Approximately 80% of what children learn happens through their vision. Whether it’s reading, interacting with other kids, throwing a ball around, or seeing what the teacher writes on the board, eyesight is involved.

If you want to set them up for success, it’s essential that visual skills develop normally. Children who start school with undiagnosed vision problems may struggle to keep up in class. They may be misdiagnosed with ADHD or another behavioral disorder.

Undiagnosed vision problems can also lead to:

Learning at a slower rate than their peers
Behavioral and disciplinary problems
Higher risk of dropping out of school

Stages of Sight

There are many milestones in a baby’s visual progression. Here’s what to expect at some critical stages:

Birth to 4 Months: Your baby’s vision is improving rapidly at this stage. They should be focusing on nearby objects and faces and begin to reach for things.
5 to 8 Months: A 3-dimensional view of the world begins to form, as does color vision.
9 to 12 Months: Babies begin to grasp objects and can judge distances.
1 to 2 Years: Hand-eye coordination and depth perception should be well-developed.

As babies grow and develop, you can help encourage their healthy visual development by playing games with them. Use the classic games like peek-a-boo and patty-cake, provide objects that can be explored with the hands and grasped, and play games that include dropping things and picking them up.

To ensure your child develops visual skills at the appropriate pace, be sure to bring them in for comprehensive eye exams.

How Do I Know If My Child Needs Glasses?

If children are experiencing a vision issue, they are often unable to articulate the problem—they might not even know there is a problem. Unlike adults, children have not established a baseline of what proper vision looks like for them.

Bringing your child for regular eye exams can help establish that baseline. We can help detect any vision problems early on. Book their appointment today!

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