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What age should my child get an eye exam?
Why are eye exams important?
Children need all of the following for proper eye and vision development:
- Near vision
- Distance vision
- Binocular coordination (two eyes working together)
- Eye movement skills
- Focusing skills
These are all evaluated during an annual eye exam.
What should I expect at an eye appointment?
- A case history
- Testing of the vision
- Testing of the eye's ability to work together
- Eye health evaluation
- Determination of prescription
Do my child's eyes have to be dilated??
Yes.... We will discuss this more before-hand, but usually we dilate all kids, especially if it is their first eye exam.
Why?! Isn't that just awful, and traumatic?!
No! We try to make it as quick and easy as possible. Dilation in children is SO important. Not only are we able to evaluate the full ocular health when dilated, but kid's prescription and vision truly depends on us dilating the eyes, especially at the first exam. Kid's focusing systems are so strong, they play a lot large role in prescription, and thus functioning of the eys and vision, compared to adults. Because of this, we need to evaluate the vision and prescription with their focusing system relaxed, which occurs during a dilation. We have a therapy dog, a super friendly and sweet golden-doodle, Laci, to help ease any anxiety that may be associated with a quick eye drop.
Is there anything I need to tell my eye doctor?
- Premature birth
- Aversion or avoidance of reading or other near work
- Change in school performance
- If your child has failed a vision screening at school
- Rubbing eyes frequently
- Excessive squinting
- Any family history of eye disease or eye conditions
- Screen/computer time at school or home
Don't forget your annual eye exam, or first eye exam on your back to school check list. Come meet Laci and schedule your appointment today!
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Do your contact lenses sometimes feel uncomfortable at the end of the day?? Or, maybe they feel less comfortable than they used to? There may be a straight forward answer. Are you replacing your lenses according to the prescribed schedule by your eye doctor? If you answered yes to this, you actually would be in the minority. Studies show that about 67% of contact lens wearers wear their lenses longer than their eye doctor recommends! We know, we know... life happens, and why is it so darn important to change your lenses on schedule, anyway!? I mean surely stretching them out longer than intended isn't THAT bad, especially if everyone's doing it... right?! No way, man.
Contact lenses contain small pores that allow oxygen and nutrients to reach your cornea. Over time, these small pores collect protein and other debris. A lot of this can be washed off at night, but over time these start to build up, resulting in less oxygen to your cornea AND the perfect breeding grounds for bacterial infections and corneal ulcers to develop. Also, significant research shows using contact lenses past their scheduled replacement date results in poor comfort and vision. On the flip side, staying on replacement schedule can increase comfort and vision! Another option that your eye doctor will likely present to you is daily disposable contact lenses. You get to throw these lenses away at the end of each day, meaning you are always getting a fresh pair in your eyes. These have become a great and healthy option to help eliminate this all-together.
Both contact lens manufacturers and eye doctors have worked together in extensive trials, developing ways to keep your contact lenses comfortable. Together, their clincial research has revealed that patients who purchase an annual supply of contact lenses have a higher compliance rate. This means less trips and less hassle for you to the eye doctor to purchase lenses during the year, and means a healthier ocular surface = happy patients and happy eye doctors! It's a win-win combination. You want your contact lenses to be comfortable and your eye doctor wants you to be healthy and happy! You and your eye doctor are on the same team. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is to keep up with your annual eye exams, replace your lenses on schedule, or even better ask about switching to daily disposable lenses!
