Your child needs regularly scheduled eye assessments to ensure good vision, as well as good physical development and overall well-being.
- Your child should get their first eye assessment early, when they are a newborn, to rule out any congenital eye diseases.
- By the time your child is three years old they are ready for a more comprehensive eye test, even if everything appears to be normal.
- Children aged three and above should get a complete eye exam by an eye doctor once a year, or sooner depending on the child’s eye condition.
- If you are a parent with a history of requiring strong glasses at a young age, or a history of squint or lazy eye in the family, you need to be more proactive in getting your child’s eyes checked by the age of three.
Good vision is key to a child’s physical development, success in school, and overall well-being. Don’t skip regular eye exams. These are important for detecting and correcting eye problems early.
As per WebMD.com, there are three types of eye specialists who can provide children’s eye and vision care:
- Ophthalmologist
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who provides eye care, such as complete eye exams, prescribing corrective lenses, diagnosing and treating eye diseases, and performing eye surgery. - Optometrist
An optometrist is a health care professional who can provide complete eye exams, prescribe corrective lenses, diagnose common eye disorders, and treat selected eye diseases. Optometrists do not treat more complex eye problems or perform surgery. - Optician
An optician assembles, fits, sells, and fills prescriptions for eyeglasses.
Writer details:
Dr. Deepika completed her MBBS from Lahore, Pakistan and her MD in Ophthalmology from Teaching Hospital, Kathmandu. Her specialty lies in Cornea and Anterior Segment Diseases. She has a fellowship on cataract and anterior segment disease from Mechi Eye Hospital and a Cornea Fellowship from Shroff Charity Eye Hospital in New Delhi. She is a mother of a three year old and is interested in ensuring that parents recognize the importance of children’s eye health early on.
