5 Reasons Your Child Needs an Eye Exam

It is recommended by the Canadian Association of Optometry that a child has their first eye exam between 6 and 9 months of age.1 The Ontario health insurance covers comprehensive eye exams for children once a year until they turn 20 years old, as well as follow up and eye emergency visits.

So, why are eye exams so highly recommended for children, even if they may not be having any visual difficulties?

1. Your Child May Not Realize They Aren’t Seeing Well

Children with poor vision may not realize they see the world differently than their friends and loved ones, and so may not mention that they are struggling to see.1

Let me give you an example. Sally avoids reading because she “doesn’t like it.” She finds reading frustrating because she is constantly losing her place and the words won’t stop swimming around on the page. To top it all off, reading causes Sally to get headaches.

Sally, who has never been able to read without these difficulties, may not realize that blurry vision is the culprit. She also may not be able to explain to her parents exactly why she doesn’t like to read.

Another thing to consider is that even if a child seems to be seeing well, it is possible that BOTH of their eyes aren’t seeing well. They may have a slight eye turn, or blurry vision in only one eye that they don’t notice because their other eye is seeing great. The brain is very good at turning off and ignoring an eye that isn’t seeing properly, a phenomenon known as suppression. In order for vision and depth perception to develop properly, it is important that both eyes are seeing well and working together.

2. Most of Visual Development Happens Before a Child Turns 8 Years Old

When children are young, their brains have a great deal of neuroplasticity, meaning that their eyes are able to improve and change.2 But, when children are around 8 years of age, they begin to lose this neuroplasticity. This means that identifying and treating visual issues in children before they turn 8 years old is important when it comes to improving their vision.3

A common childhood vision disorder is called amblyopia (or “lazy eye”). Amblyopia is when the visual system of one or both eyes doesn’t develop properly. If amblyopia isn’t diagnosed and treated early in life, it can result in permanently decreased vision and poor depth perception. Common treatments for childhood visual conditions like amblyopia are glasses, patching (an eye patch worn over the better seeing eye to help the worse eye develop), and/or eye muscle surgery.

3. Healthy Eyes Are About More Than Just Vision

A pediatric eye exam is about more than just checking vision. During the exam, the optometrist will also look for eye diseases that could impact vision or overall health. Conditions such as cataracts or glaucoma can occur in children and may require treatment or close monitoring.

A rare, but potentially life-threatening childhood eye condition that the optometrist will screen for is called retinoblastoma. Retinoblastoma is an eye tumour that typically develops in the eye before 5 years of age and can be identified on a dilated eye exam.

https://eyewiki.aao.org/w/images/1/f/f1/Retinoblastoma_White_Reflex.jpeg

A common warning sign for this condition is if your child has a “white eye” when taking a flash picture instead of the typical “red eye.”4 If you are at all concerned about this condition, be sure to have your child’s eyes examined ASAP.

4. Poor Vision Affects Learning

Undiagnosed visual problems can affect childhood learning.5 Common symptoms of vision problems like blurry vision, headaches and double vision may make it harder for a child to stay engaged in class material, see the board, and perform well on assignments and tests.

5. Great Vision Can Help Your Child Experience Life to the Fullest

Clear vision may make all the difference in a child’s life. One of the most common stories I hear from people who needed glasses as a child is when they put on their first pair of glasses, they were amazed to find out that trees had individual leaves on them. Good vision can help a child see their friends and family and interact better with the world around them.

If your child has never had an eye exam, hasn’t had one in a while, or if you are concerned about their vision or eye health, please visit your optometrist for an updated pediatric eye exam.  

Sources Used:

1. Canadian Association of Optometrists. (n.d.). The eye exam. Retrieved from: https://opto.ca/eye-health-library/eye-exam

2. Thompson B. (2021). Neural Plasticity in Amblyopia. Psychology Retrieved from: https://oxfordre.com/psychology/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.001.0001/acrefore-9780190236557-e-702

3. Al Haddad, C., Ismail, K., Jurdi, K.W. & Keaik, M. (2019) Clinical Profile and Treatment Outcomes of Amblyopia Across Age Groups. Middle East African Journal of Ophthalmology. Retrieved from: https://journals.lww.com/mejo/fulltext/2019/26020/clinical_profile_and_treatment_outcomes_of.4.aspx#:~:text=Causes%20of%20amblyopia%20differed%20by,compliance%20and%20decreased%20treatment%20effectiveness.

4. Lohmann, D.R., Gaillie, B.L.(2018). Retinoblastoma. Gene Reviews. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1452/

5. Ali, W., et al. (2021). Current Challenges Supporting School Aged Children with Vision Problems: a rapid review. Applied Sciences.

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