This cute little baby with goofy hair and silly smile is none other than Dr. Abert and Dr. Pedroza’s little boy Nathan! He received his first eye exam at 5 months of age at an optometry meeting in California.
The American Optometric Association recommends children have their first eye exam at 6 months of age. InfantSEE is a public health program where participating providers offer a no-cost eye exam to children under one year of age. Vista Eye Care is a proud supporter of this program, and early-life eye care for children. It is important to catch any issues so that treatment can be started early. While children are frequently seen by dentists at an early age, their primary sensory organs (eyes!) are often not considered a priority until later in life. It is crucial to test eyes early to ensure that children’s eyes develop properly.
Things our eye doctors test for:
- Excessive or unequal amount of nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), or astigmatism.
- Eye movement ability
- Eye health problems
What we do during an InfantSee exam:
- Family history – Identify any family history of eye disease, high refractive error, or eye turn (strabismus). These are all traits that can be passed down to other generations. The child’s parents may have also noticed an issue with their children’s vision, such as, an eye turn or head turn. An eye turning in is ok up to 6 months and an eye turning out is ok up to 8 months, though anything beyond this could impact normal development of the visual system.
- Assess eye alignment – make sure the eyes are able to look in all directions. We perform techniques of eye alignment known as the cover test and the Bruckner test.
- Check refractive error – We use cyclopentolate drops to dilate the pupil and control the child’s focusing.
- Health assessment – We are able to look inside the eye, checking for congenital cataracts and posterior segment disease.
Call us today to schedule your child’s first eye exam at (303) 450-2020, or use the link below to schedule your appointment online!
