{"id":12649,"date":"2021-06-09T08:19:53","date_gmt":"2021-06-09T08:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/?page_id=12649"},"modified":"2021-07-14T07:10:51","modified_gmt":"2021-07-14T07:10:51","slug":"should-my-child-have-an-eye-exam","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/pediatric-eye-exams-2\/should-my-child-have-an-eye-exam\/","title":{"rendered":"Should My Child Have An Eye Exam?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Did you know that even if a child has 20\/20 vision, they should still go to the eye doctor once a year.<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>A comprehensive eye exam will assess their vision as well as detect problems with their eye health and possibly even their overall health, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-children\/the-myth-of-20-20\/could-a-child-with-20-20-sight-have-a-vision-problem\/\">even if your child has 20\/20 vision<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important to take your child to an eye doctor for a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/\">comprehensive eye exam<\/a> once a year to assess if their vision has changed and to check for eye diseases and other health issues.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>Schedule an eye exam<\/b><\/a> with an eye doctor near you to have your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/\">child\u2019s eyes checked<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SEE RELATED: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/pediatric-eye-exams-2\/does-my-baby-have-an-eye-problem\/\">Does my Baby have an Eye Problem?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<div class=\"practice-search-widget\">\n\t\t<h3>Find an eye doctor near you<\/h3>\n\t\t\n\t<form class=\"practice-search-form practice-search-form-widget\" action=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/results\/\" method=\"get\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"page\" class=\"practice-search-page\">\n\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_latitude\"><input type=\"hidden\" name=\"address_longitude\">\n\n\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"address\" class=\"practice-search-address\" placeholder=\"City, Surburb or Address\" value=\"\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<input type=\"hidden\" name=\"distance\" value=\"100\" class=\"practice-search-distance\">\n\n\t\t\n\n\t\t<button type=\"submit\" class=\"practice-search-button\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path fill-rule=\"evenodd\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M10.6796 0.130005C9.15708 0.130059 7.66615 0.5646 6.38198 1.38258C5.09781 2.20057 4.07373 3.36803 3.43004 4.74783C2.78634 6.12763 2.54976 7.66246 2.74808 9.17205C2.9464 10.6816 3.57139 12.1033 4.54964 13.27L0.729639 17.08C0.6364 17.1732 0.562439 17.2839 0.511979 17.4058C0.461519 17.5276 0.435547 17.6581 0.435547 17.79C0.435547 17.9219 0.461519 18.0524 0.511979 18.1743C0.562439 18.2961 0.6364 18.4068 0.729639 18.5C0.917942 18.6883 1.17334 18.7941 1.43964 18.7941C1.5715 18.7941 1.70207 18.7681 1.82389 18.7177C1.94571 18.6672 2.0564 18.5932 2.14964 18.5L5.99964 14.62C7.35406 15.6038 8.98566 16.1324 10.6596 16.13C12.7814 16.13 14.8162 15.2871 16.3165 13.7869C17.8168 12.2866 18.6596 10.2517 18.6596 8.13C18.6596 6.00827 17.8168 3.97344 16.3165 2.47315C14.8162 0.97286 12.7814 0.130005 10.6596 0.130005H10.6796ZM10.6796 14.13C9.49295 14.13 8.33291 13.7781 7.34622 13.1188C6.35952 12.4595 5.59049 11.5225 5.13636 10.4261C4.68224 9.32975 4.56342 8.12335 4.79493 6.95946C5.02644 5.79558 5.59788 4.72648 6.437 3.88736C7.27611 3.04825 8.34521 2.4768 9.5091 2.24529C10.673 2.01378 11.8794 2.1326 12.9757 2.58673C14.0721 3.04085 15.0092 3.80989 15.6685 4.79658C16.3277 5.78328 16.6796 6.94332 16.6796 8.13C16.6796 9.7213 16.0475 11.2474 14.9223 12.3726C13.7971 13.4979 12.2709 14.13 10.6796 14.13Z\" fill=\"#fff\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t<button type=\"button\" class=\"practice-search-use-my-location\">\n\t\t\tSearch near me\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\n\t<\/form>\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<h2><b>Are school vision screenings enough?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/are-school-vision-screenings-effective\/\"><b>No.<\/b> A school vision screening offers limited testing<\/a>, as it uses a vision chart, which only tests distance vision acuity, to see if a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-children\/the-myth-of-20-20\/could-a-child-with-20-20-sight-have-a-vision-problem\/\">child has 20\/20 sight<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Most vision screenings only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-children\/the-myth-of-20-20\/\">test distance 20\/20 vision<\/a>, and do not assess near vision acuity, or the child\u2019s visual skills, which are needed for effective learning, reading and computer use &#8211; all essential for school.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/vision-for-school\/are-school-vision-screenings-effective\/\">School screenings<\/a> don&#8217;t test a child\u2019s visual skills, such as eye tracking, focusing, and the eyes\u2019 ability to work together &#8211; needed in the classroom and sports field.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, the screening doesn\u2019t provide little if any information about a child\u2019s ocular health. A child could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-children\/the-myth-of-20-20\/\">have 20\/20 sight, but still have a serious eye problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Why are children\u2019s eye exams important?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>Every child should get their eyes examined to ensure they don&#8217;t have any vision problems that could threaten their safety or academic achievement.<\/p>\n<p>Accurate eye movement, relaxed focusing, and visual acuity at all distances are only a few of the visual abilities that are required for effective learning.<\/p>\n<h2><b>When should a child&#8217;s eyes be examined?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/\">A child\u2019s first eye exam<\/a> should be when they are six months old, the optometrist will then advise you when the next eye test is due.<\/p>\n<p>Most eye doctors recommend annual eye exams, but as a minimum their next eye exam should be at age three, and again right before they enter first grade.<\/p>\n<p>As long as no vision correction is needed, children should have an eye exam every one to two years once they reach school age. Children who need glasses or contact lenses should see an eye doctor at least once a year or as recommended by their eye doctor.<\/p>\n<h2><b>Signs of eye problems<\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The following warning signs may indicate an eye problem:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Avoiding reading, writing or drawing<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Closing one eye when they go out in bright sunlight<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Closing one eye when they watch TV or read<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Complaining about double or blurred vision<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Excessively rubbing their eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Excessively watery eyes<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Having unexplained headaches<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Holding books or objects unusually close to their face or sitting very close to the TV<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\">Poor hand-eye coordination and clumsiness<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>LEARN MORE:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/\">Guide to Children&#8217;s Eye Exams<\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re worried that your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/vision-therapy\/vision-therapy-for-children\/the-myth-of-20-20\/\">child may have a vision problem<\/a>, or it\u2019s time for their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/\">regular eye exam<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/practice-search\/\"><b>schedule an appointment<\/b><\/a> with an eye doctor near you.<\/p>\n<p>The earlier eye problems are detected, the sooner they can be treated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Did you know that even if a child has 20\/20 vision, they should still go to the eye doctor once a year. A comprehensive eye<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":12650,"parent":303,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-article.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12649","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Should My Child Have An Eye Exam? - Optometrists.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.optometrists.org\/childrens-vision\/guide-to-childrens-eye-exams\/pediatric-eye-exams-2\/should-my-child-have-an-eye-exam\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Should My Child Have An Eye Exam? - Optometrists.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know that even if a child has 20\/20 vision, they should still go to the eye doctor once a year. 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