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Children’s Eye Care FAQ

Laria Eye Care Children's Eye Exam FAQ

Dr. Fischer makes your child’s first eye exam as fun and easy as possible! Our eye charts not only play cartoons to keep children interested in the exam, but Dr. Fischer also designed a special eye chart with shapes that even 1-2 year old respond to. Most parents could not believe how easy the eye exam was and are happy and surprised when their child wants to come back.

We recommend bringing all your children together for their routine yearly eye exam. This helps kids become comfortable easily when they learn how to do the tests from their brothers, sisters or friends. We also recommend parents to get their eye exam with their children since many eye conditions are hereditary in nature. Dr Fischer can examine the entire family including adults as well.

A comprehensive eye exam is one of the important preparations for children in ensuring that they are set to succeed in the new academic term.  Watch this video to learn how critical an eye exam with a qualified optometrist really is in catching vision problems that could hold children back from full achievement.

Q: At what age should a child get an eye exam?

baby mom and dad300Your child should get a routine eye exam at 9 months, 3 years, 5 years and every year after 6 years of age. However, If you think your newborn has an eye problem, bring them in for an exam immediately.

Q: Doesn't the school or pediatrician give eye exams?

NO!  Pediatricians & schools only perform vision screenings.  A typical vision screening checks to see if the distance vision is better than 20/40 at 20 feet.  Your eye doctor will put in eye drops to check the health of the retina, eye pressure, look for eye teaming and tracking difficulties, and prescribe glasses if needed.

Q: What if I’m afraid my child says they can’t see just because they want glasses?

No problem, we have fool-proof ways to know if a vision problem exists!   This is a very common concern of parents, but it's very rare that child is making it up.  Many times a child will put on their parents or siblings glasses and not want to take them off because they actually do see better.  More often I find parents feel guilty because they wish they would have gotten their children checked earlier..

Q: Can I or my child wear someone else’s glasses until I get my own?

NO! NEVER wear someone else’s glasses!  This can make your vision worse!

Q: If my vision is 20/20, do I have perfect vision?

Not necessarily! 20/20 means at a distance of 20 feet you can read the smallest letters on the eye chart. You can be actually legally blind and have 20/20 vision!  20/20 is more correctly known as perfect “visual acuity”.

Q: Do you have to put dilation eye drops in and do they hurt?

We use eye dilation drops that are gentle and can be administered by a spray mist for children who are a little nervous. Eye drops are often really important for the first exam because they enlarge the pupils so the doctor can see the health of the retina and it makes a child’s test for glasses prescription more accurate.  Even though it may be highly recommended, patients are allowed to request not to have drops before the exam.

baby eyes300cropQ: Why is it so important for your baby or child to have their eyes checked?

The faster problems are detected, the better the treatment outcome. Also, poor vision can affect a child’s learning and social development.  Often a child may be labeled as very shy or hyperactive because they have poor vision. Sometimes these labels and habits stay with a child even after their vision and behavior improve.

Q: Can children or even babies NEED eyeglasses!?

Yes, some children are born with vision problems such as high astigmatism or near/farsightedness. Without glasses, this may cause permanent vision loss or delays in development.  Some children may need additional treatment such as eye patches or surgery.  We have a large selection of all sizes of glasses in soft, durable and non-toxic materials.

Q: How do you find a child/baby’s eyeglass prescription?

It is very easy actually!  Dr. Fischer shines a special light in the patient’s eyes. If that light is out of focus, she changes the glasses prescription until the light is in focus.  This technique is called Retinoscopy. It is painless and accurate even on newborn babies!