Visual clarity is important at any age, but especially for children. If a child is having difficulty seeing clearly, their learning can be affected. To ensure that your child has the visual resources they need to grow and develop normally, their eyes and vision should be examined by an eye doctor at certain stages of their development.
Eye Exams for Infants: A baby’s visual system develops gradually over the first few months of life. They must learn to focus and move their eyes and use them together as a team. The brain also needs to learn how to process the visual information from the eyes to understand and interact with the world. With the development of eyesight comes the foundation for motor development such as crawling, walking and basic hand-eye coordination.
You can ensure that your baby is developing on track by scheduling an infant eye exam at around 6 months of age. At this exam, your doctor will check that the child is seeing properly and look for conditions that could impair eye health or vision.
Eye Exams for Preschool Aged Children: During the toddler and preschool years, children will develop their fine motor skills, further hand-eye coordination and perceptual abilities that will prepare them to read and write, play sports and participate in creative activities. Success in these areas is dependent upon good vision.
If you notice your child squinting, rubbing their eyes frequently, sitting very close to the tv or reading material, it is worth a trip to the eye doctor.
Eye Exams for School-Aged Children: Undetected or uncorrected vision problems can cause children to suffer academically, socially, athletically and personally. If your child is having trouble in school or afterschool activities, there could be an underlying vision problem. Proper learning, motor development, reading and many other skills are dependent upon not only good vision, but also the ability of your eyes to work together. Children that have problems with focusing, reading or hand-eye coordination will often experience frustration and may exhibit behavioral problems as well.
In addition to the symptoms described above, signs of vision problems in older children include:
During an eye exam in Boiling Springs, your doctor will examine the area around the eye and inside the eye to check for any eye diseases or health conditions. If a vision problem is detected, a number of treatment options may be recommended such as eyeglasses, an eye patch or vision therapy. Since some conditions are much easier to treat when they are caught early while the eyes are still developing, it is important to diagnose any eye and vision issues as early as possible. To schedule an eye exam for you or your child, contact Palmetto Eye & Laser Center at 864-583-6381 or palmettoeyeandlaser.com today.
