Did you know that your child’s first eye exam should be at 6 months of age? The eye doctor are checking to ensure that the eyes are healthy, that the eyes are working together as a team and are aligned and that the eyes are developing at the acceptable normative range. The next recommended visit is yearly after their first initial visit.
At Kindergarten age, your annual exam to a doctor of optometry will ensure that your child is ready for school. If your child requires eye glasses in Kindergarten, the Alberta Association of Optometrists’ Eye See . . . Eye Learn® program will provide a pair of glasses free of charge.
For school aged children, the demands of your child’s eyes will continue to increase and 80% of a child’s learning is based on vision. Approximately 60% of children experiencing reading difficulties have an undiagnosed or untreated vision problem.
In our technological day and age, more children are experiencing digital eye strain from using electronic devices for long periods of time. Your child may not realize they have a vision problem and it is sometimes difficult to detect any issues from a day to day basis as a child’s visual system is able to adapt tremendously to any challenges.