Of course, you’d want to start your kid off to a great start in every way, including his or her eye health. However, since babies aren’t capable of reading an eye chart just yet, when should you have your kid’s eyes professionally checked?
But it’s imperative that you don’t delay professional eye examinations for younger kids since some early eye issues could negatively impact their eyesight for life, warns one of the top optometrists in Hamilton, CA. Finding an issue early on could help keep it from progressing into something that’s more serious and difficult to treat.
So when should you have your kid’s eyes checked?
Most eye professionals recommend that you have your kid undergo a comprehensive eye examination when he or she is around one year old, and then before kindergarten if your kid doesn’t exhibit any vision problems.
These comprehensive examinations are especially crucial for young kids who have an eye issue that their pediatrician detected and those who have a parent or sibling with a severe eye issue like amblyopia or lazy eye, or strabismus, crossed eyes.
Early eye examinations as a preventive measure
If left undiagnosed and untreated, eye abnormalities or conditions could result in vision loss. The good news is that some eye problems, such as lazy eye and crossed eyes, are reversible if detected and treated early. Treatment might include medicated eye drops, eye patch or eyeglasses.
Put simply, don’t assume that your kid could see properly. At the first sign of trouble, even if you’re not sure if your kid has an eye problem or if it’s not the time for an eye exam yet, visit your eye doctor as soon as possible.
