Everyone should be aware that eye exams for children are extremely important, because vision problems are more common in children.
Eye problems occur at about 5 % of preschoolers and 25% of school-age children. Since most vision defects starts at an early age, it becomes more important that children need proper eye care.
Leading eye organizations carried out different studies and suggested a schedule for children’s eye health checkup:
Newborn infants - eyes should check while they are in the hospital nursery. It is a general eye health check up and includes a red reflex test. This examination can help to assess many congenital eye problems some of those are very serious and may permanently threaten vision.
Regular eye exam at six month, three years, and five years - pediatricians should assess history and a vision exam to see if there are any problems exist. Vision screenings should perform by assessing visual acuity test and ocular alignment test.
If an eye problem is suspecting – then the child should be referring for a comprehensive professional eye examination for earlier detection and proper treatment to avoid any complications.