Children’s Eye Exams

Kids Don’t Always Know When Their Vision Is Different

Children usually do not have anything to compare their vision to. What they see every day simply feels normal to them.

A children’s eye exam looks at more than whether your child can read an eye chart. It helps us understand how clearly each eye sees, how the eyes work together, how they focus, and whether the eyes are healthy and developing as expected.

More Than a Vision Screening

School and pediatric-office vision screenings are valuable tools. Their job is to quickly identify children who may need a closer look.

A comprehensive eye exam goes further. It can evaluate each eye individually, determine whether a prescription is needed, assess eye alignment and focusing, and examine the health of the eyes.

A screening and an eye exam are not competing with each other. They simply do different jobs.

My Child Passed Their Screening. Do They Still Need an Eye Exam?

Passing a screening is good news, but it does not necessarily tell us everything about a child’s vision.

Some screenings focus mainly on distance vision. Problems involving differences between the two eyes,

farsightedness, focusing, eye teaming, or other aspects of vision may not always be identified through a screening alone.

If your child has been referred after a screening, has symptoms, or you have concerns about their vision, a comprehensive exam can provide a much closer look.

How Do You Examine a Child Who Can’t Read Yet?

An eye exam does not depend on knowing letters—or even being able to tell us which lens looks better.

For younger children, doctors can use age-appropriate methods to evaluate how the eyes focus, move, align, respond to visual targets, and see individually.

As children get older, the exam gradually becomes more like an adult eye exam.

What Are We Looking For?

• Nearsightedness

• Farsightedness

• Astigmatism

• Differences in vision between the two eyes

• Amblyopia, sometimes called lazy eye

• Eye turns or alignment concerns

• Focusing or eye-teaming problems

• Changes in eye health

The exact testing depends on your child’s age, symptoms, history, and what the doctor finds during the exam.

Signs Worth Paying Attention To

Children do not always complain when something is wrong with their vision.

You may notice things like:

• squinting

• sitting very close to screens

• holding books unusually close

• covering or closing one eye

• an eye that turns

• frequent headaches or eye strain

• rubbing the eyes

• complaints of blur or double vision

• difficulty staying comfortable during prolonged reading

These signs can have many possible causes and do not automatically mean your child has a vision problem. They are simply good reasons to have the eyes checked.

What If Their Prescription Keeps Changing?

Nearsightedness, or myopia, often develops and progresses during childhood.

If your child’s distance prescription continues to get stronger, our doctors can monitor those changes and discuss whether myopia-management options may be appropriate.

When Should My Child Have an Eye Exam?

Recommendations vary between professional organizations and also depend on the individual child.

Children with symptoms, a failed screening, glasses, known eye conditions, certain medical or developmental risk factors, or a family history of eye problems may need more frequent evaluation.

Our doctors can recommend a schedule based on your child’s age, vision, eye health, and individual needs.

Give Them a Clearer Picture

Your child does not need to know something is wrong before their eyes deserve a closer look.

Our doctors can evaluate how your child’s vision is developing, explain what we find in plain language, and help you understand what—if anything—comes next.