The eye is one of the five sensory organs, and in terms of vision, it is not only essential for daily life but also important for the development of children at every age.
The eye is an organ that develops continuously and rapidly during the first 10 years of life. This is why the American Academy of Pediatrics has created a vision screening plan for children, known as the American Academy of Pediatrics vision screening guidelines, which divides children’s eye health screening into 4 age groups as follows:
- Newborn period
- 6-12 months old
- 3-5 years old
- After 5 years old
Screening children’s eye health helps detect problems or abnormalities before the disease progresses severely. Early treatment or problem-solving at each age stage can help improve vision or resolve various issues effectively.
Common eye problems in children include refractive errors, strabismus, crossed eyes, and amblyopia. Timely detection allows for effective treatment because in some eye diseases, such as amblyopia, if treatment is delayed or the child is over 10 years old, vision may not return to normal as it should, which will affect the person’s quality of life permanently.
