In raising a child, it’s not only common childhood illnesses that parents need to watch out for, but there are also some parents who only find out that their child has eye problems… on a day when it’s almost too late to fix because the child did not receive eye examinations according to the proper guidelines. So when should parents take their beloved child to see an ophthalmologist? Here is the answer…
Eye examinations in children are divided into 3 age groups as follows
Age 0 – 2 years (Infant and toddler)
- Premature infants should be examined 4-6 weeks after birth and again at 3 months old (postnatal). If normal, examine at 1 year old.
- Full-term infants at 3 months old who do not make eye contact or look at their parents’ faces.
- Children who frequently have overflowing tears and have been treated with eye massage but show no improvement (likely to have blocked tear ducts or pediatric glaucoma).
- Drooping eyelid on one or both sides, even if it does not obstruct vision, may cause lazy eye in the future.
- Children with developmental disorders should have their vision checked to see if there are abnormalities.
- Infants with Down syndrome (commonly found with cataracts and refractive errors).
- Children with pituitary hormone abnormalities (commonly found with optic nerve hypoplasia).
- Children who have nystagmus (involuntary eye movement).
- Children with abnormally large corneas in one or both eyes (risk of congenital glaucoma), especially if accompanied by light sensitivity or frequent tearing.
Age 2-5 years (Pre-school age) Examine when symptoms or indications are found as follows
- Strabismus (crossed eyes)
- Frequent abnormal blinking
- Tilting the head when looking
- Family history of eye abnormalities
- Children with learning disabilities (assess vision level to determine if it causes LD)
Age 5 years and older (School Child) Examine when symptoms or indications are found as follows
- Frequent headaches with no other cause found
- Squinting when looking or needing to watch TV up close
- Strabismus or a family history of strabismus
- Eye examination for all children before entering school. If a cause leading to lazy eye is found, treatment must be done before age 9 (delayed examination may result in poor treatment outcomes)
