Eye exams for children are extremely important, because 5 to 10 percent of preschoolers and 25 percent of school aged children have vision problems. Early identification of a child’s vision problem can be crucial because children often are more responsive to treatment when problems are diagnosed early.
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 month of age. Children then should have additional eye exams at age 3, and just before they enter the first grade at about age 5 or 6.
Early eye exams are important because children need the following skills related to good eyesight for learning:
- Near vision
- Distant vision
- Binocular coordination
- Eye movement skills
- Focusing skills
- Peripheral awareness
- Hand-eye coordination