It becomes challenging to know if or when your child needs to visit for an eye check-up. In many cases, a child’s eye health can be evaluated by a pediatrician but if the child has a family history of eye problems then it is vital to visit an eye doctor. To escape any ignored complications, it is advisable for every parent to get their children’s vision checked when their child reaches the age of 6 months, 3 years, and before first grade, even if there are no risk factors or family history of eye problems. Parents can also show their child to an ophthalmologist if their child is showing symptoms of possible vision problems such as:
- Poor school performance
- Not wanting to go to school
- Difficulty in paying attention
- Difficulty when reading and writing
- Trouble seeing information on the chalk board or white board
- Blurry or double vision
- Headaches or eye pain
- Taking longer than normal time to complete their homework
The possibility of neurologic development of vision can occur in a child at 12 years of age. Other eye conditions including strabismus (misalignment of the eyes), uncorrected refractive error (myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism), and asymmetry of refractive error can affect the development and cause of amblyopia (lazy eye). All of these services of pediatric ophthalmology are specially catered at Hashmanis Group of Hospitals. Our pediatric ophthalmologists have additional training, experience and expertise in examining children’s eye disorders, and have the greatest knowledge of possible conditions and complications that affect the pediatric patient.
What to Expect During an Eye Exam
The Hashmanis Group of Hospitals have developed a standard in the children’s eye health care. Our services in pediatric ophthalmology include:
- Inspection of the eye: The pediatric ophthalmologist inspects the child’s eyes and eyelids, examine different eye muscle movements, pupils, and the retina.
- Ophthalmoscope: This test is only suitable for older children where the ophthalmologist studies a child’s retina.
- Corneal light reflex testing: This test is the study of cornea which is done using a small flashlight by the ophthalmologist, who looks at a specific spot where the light is reflected from the cornea (front surface of the eye). If this light reflected is not sharp, clear, and off-centered, then there are issues in the cornea.
- Cover testing: In this test the ophthalmologist detects any misalignment of the child’s eyes. By covering each eye one at a time, the child is asked to focus on a specific target, during this simple test the ophthalmologist is able to study for any “shift” in order to detect any misalignment.
- Acuity testing: Using an eye chart, the child is asked to read all the symbols, letters and numerous lines of the chart.
During the eye exam the ophthalmologist will also ask a few question for better evaluation of the child’s vision, such as:
- Does your child seem to see well?
- Does your child hold books or other objects close to his or her face?
- Do your child’s eyes appear straight and focused? Or do they seem to cross or drift?
- Do your child’s eyes appear unusual in any way?
- Do your child’s eyelids droop or does one eyelid tend to close more than the other?
Has your child ever had an eye injury?
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