All children need eye exams even if they don't show signs of having any type of visual problems. Problems may be caught early and treated so they don't develop with age and worsen. At Saline Optometry in Chelsea, MI, and Saline, MI, we are the trusted professionals in pediatric eye care for all of your needs.
When Should Children Have an Eye Exam?
The American Optometric Association (AOA) suggests children have their first eye exam at 6 months old. They should have additional exams at 3 years old and just before they start first grade. If your child needs glasses or contact lenses, then they should have an annual eye exam to stay on top of their vision needs.
What are Common Visual Impairments in Children?
Several visual impairments occur in children, and you may not even notice them without an eye exam. Any child may develop misaligned eye movements with one eye looking straight while another eye is turned in, out, up, or down, or tracking problems where they can't follow objects, as they should. They may develop either farsightedness or nearsightedness at an early age as well. These abnormalities can be found through an eye exam and corrected early in your child's life by an eye doctor.
Why is Pediatric Eye Care So Important?
Some common childhood eye problems can cause blindness later in life if they are not caught at an early stage of life. When a child's eyes are misaligned, each eye will send a signal to the brain of what it is seeing and the two images will be different. In time, the brain will ignore the signals from the weaker eye and essentially make your child blind in that eye causing depth perceptions and other permanent vision disorders.
To be successful in school, your child must be able to see properly. Otherwise, they may get debilitating headaches from squinting at the board, which makes school work very challenging.
We Are Here to Help
Call Saline Optometry and Chelsea Eyeglasses today for more information or to schedule an appointment with our eye doctor.