When Should My Child Have Their First Eye Exam?

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As a parent, you always want the best for your child, and ensuring their overall health includes taking care of their eyesight. Scheduling their first eye exam is an essential step in monitoring their visual development and detecting any potential issues early on. But when exactly should your child have their first eye exam?

Infant Eye Exams

Believe it or not, your child’s first eye exam should take place much earlier than you might think. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends that infants undergo their initial comprehensive eye exam between 6 and 12 months of age. This early examination allows eye doctors to detect any potential vision problems or eye conditions that could impact your child’s visual development.

Preschool Eye Exams

The next milestone in your child’s eye care journey is during their preschool years. The AOA suggests that children have another eye exam around the age of 3. At this stage, your eye doctor in Jesup, GA will evaluate your child’s visual acuity, eye alignment, and overall eye health. Early detection of any vision problems can help ensure that your child is ready for school and able to learn effectively.

School-Age Eye Exams

As your child enters school, regular eye exams become even more critical. The AOA recommends that school-age children without any known vision problems have an eye exam every two years. However, if your child wears glasses or contacts, or if they have a known eye condition, annual exams are recommended.

Keep in mind that school vision screenings, while very helpful, are not a substitute for a comprehensive eye exam by a professional eye doctor. These screenings may detect some vision problems, but they can miss other issues that a comprehensive eye exam is more likely to catch.

Remember, your child’s first eye exam should take place during infancy, with subsequent exams at age 3 and then every two years during their school years. Ensuring regular eye exams for your child can help detect vision problems early, allowing for timely intervention and treatment. Maintaining your child’s eye health is a crucial part of their overall well-being and success in school and life. Book an eye exam in Jesup, GA for your child today.

What Conditions Will a Standard Eye Exam Diagnose?

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Even when you can see just fine, a yearly eye exam in Jesup, GA is a must. These exams don’t just assess your vision, they can also catch eye disorders or conditions well before they have a chance to advance to a more serious stage of development. We’ll look at what an eye doctor in Brunswick, GA is looking for, and why it’s important to find someone who can assess your progress from year to year.

How An Eye Exam Works

The eye doctor in St. Marys, GA will usually start with your personal and family health history, which can tell them a lot about the state of your eyes. Hereditary eye conditions may not manifest immediately for some, so it helps the eye doctor to strategize the best course of treatment for you. They’ll test not just how well you can see the last line on the chart, but also your depth perception, your vision with one eye (vs. both eyes), eye muscle movements, response to light, and your peripheral vision.

Common Diagnosable Conditions

An eye exam in Brunswick, GA can help the doctor diagnose any of the following:

  • Glaucoma: This condition affects the optic nerve. If it’s damaged for any reason, whether it’s due to advancing age or a one-off injury, it can cause vision loss.
  • Macular degeneration: This condition affects the retina of the eye. As you age, the pigmented portion may break down, which can cause vision loss.
  • Diabetic retinopathy: Most people experience some degree of retina damage over time, but diabetes (either type I or type II) can cause this damage to quicken.
  • Cataracts: This condition causes the lens of the eye to go from clear to yellow. While most commonly associated with older people, it can affect people of all ages.

Eye Doctors in Brunswick

From dry eye to childhood vision disorders, an eye exam is the chance for the doctor to see how your eyes are responding to certain stimuli. If you can remember the date of your last exam or you’ve otherwise put it off, Vision Source Family Eye Care can help you put it back on your radar. Contact us today to schedule an appointment or to ask any questions you have about our exams.