Children are screened at birth for certain eye conditions by their primary care provider.   Any misalignment of the eyes that persists beyond 4 to 6 months of age should prompt an evaluation with an eye doctor.  Likewise, any persisting problems with eye discharge, nystagmus (jerky eye movements) or poor visual focusing would indicate a need to see an eye specialist.  A family history of certain eye conditions may also be a good reason for having your child examined at a very young age.  This is especially true if there is a family history of congenital cataracts, congenital glaucoma or retinoblastoma.

If no eye problems are noted by the parent or primary care provider, a good time for your child's first eye examination is around 3 years of age.  Examination at 3 years of age is a good time to screen your child for more serious eye problems such as amblyopia (lazy vision) and/or strabismus (lazy eye).   It is best to diagnose and treat these conditions at a young age in order to have the best possible vision for your child's lifetime.  These conditions are sometimes present without the parent having noted obvious problems.

If the eye examination at 3 years of age is normal, another examination around 5 to 6 years of age is ideal as your child is starting to school.  Children who have vision problems at this age may require yearly or more frequent eye examinations.  Otherwise many children may be seen thereafter only if they are having obvious problems or if they have difficulty on the eye screening examinations at school or during the vision screening at the primary care provider's office.

Your child should be seen promptly if you have any reason to suspect a vision problem or if you observe any eye misalignment problem.  Any unusual white reflection from your child's pupil should prompt immediate evaluation.

Not all eye doctors have the same level of experience when it comes to examining and treating young children with suspected eye problems.  The PHYSICIANS at Children's Eye Clinic are both highly trained specialists in their fields, with extensive training and many years of experience in treating children with vision problems.