Early detection of children’s vision problems is essential to make sure your kids have the visual skills they need to do well in school, sports and other activities.

Vision plays a crucial role throughout childhood and beyond. In fact, experts say 80 percent of what children learn in school is presented visually.

To make sure your child’s eyes are functioning properly during the early formative years, schedule his or her first eye exam with an optometrist or ophthalmologist at 6 months of age. Otherwise, a lifetime of poor vision in one or both eyes could occur.

Moving into the preschool and school-age years, parents face a new set of concerns: first eye exam, does the child require vision correction , will the vision worsen over time, or improve; what type of eyeglasses are recommended, what if the child won’t wear his glasses; are contact lenses an option, possible leaning-related vision problem, and  how computer use can affect a child’s eyes.  Those concerns can all be addressed at a routine eye exam.   Starting at age two, with fast development in early childhood, children’s vision could change rapidly as well.  We recommend routine eye exam minimum once a year.

Parents of school-age children should be informed about vision correction options, such as using contact lenses instead of glasses to control nearsightedness and protective sports eyewear.