CHILDREN'S VISION
As a parent you may wonder when your child is ready to have their first eye exam. We see children as young as 6 months of age and sometimes younger. This is because, early identification of a child’s vision problem is crucial to ensuring they avoid ongoing problems: children are often more responsive to treatment when problems are diagnosed early.
At Casey Optometrist, we assess your child’s vision, testing eye alignment, eye health and determine whether optical glasses are required.
Children’s vision consultations include testing for:
- Near vision
- Distance vision
- Binocular (two eyes) coordination
- Eye movement skills
- Focusing skills
- Peripheral awareness
- Hand-eye coordination
Common Vision Problems
The most common vision problems in children affect their ability to see clearly. Images are less sharp and this can often be picked up as difficulty concentrating in class, headaches or tired eyes.
This may be due to:
- Myopia (Short-sightedness) – the child is unable to see distance objects but can see clearly at short distances/close-up
- Hyperopia (Long-sightedness) – the opposite of Myopia, the child has blurry vision at short distances.
- Astigmatism – a misshapen cornea which results in blurry vision at all distances
Other vision problems may be more difficult to detect, such as a turned or lazy eye, and require treatment by one of our optometrists.
Once recognised, these problems are usually easy to correct, which is why early detection and treatment of eye and vision problems is important. The earlier a vision problem is detected and treated, the more likely treatment will be successful.
Symptoms to watch out for:
- Blinking often
- Headaches
- Complaints of blurred or double vision
- Red or watery eyes
- Difficulty concentrating
- Covering or closing one eye
- Holding a book very close to read
- Squinting or sitting very close when watching television or on the computer
If it is determined that your child will require prescription glasses, you can rest assured that we have a large range of fantastic children’s frames that your child will feel comfortable and confident wearing.
