Toddlers and eye doctors

Deborah - posted on 02/26/2009

The red dot is likely a broken blood vessel. I am curious too, very good question. I personaly don't know the answer. When Abbie was a baby we noticed in photos she apeared cross eyed. She went to eye doctor at a year old I believe. They had a name for it, just can't remember what. Basicaly she had an extra fold of skin near the eye that causes the appearance of crossed eyes, and that the eye it's self determined to have no problems. We were told that in time as she grows it would go away. And it did, they were right. I remember I was very scared, intially not knowing what was wrong. Would she have to use a patch or get glasses? But what surprised me the most was not having to wait for an answer. And they made the visit really fun for her, she was being tested in diffrent ways and didn't even know cause she was having so much fun.

It was a pleasant change being able to walk in nervous, and leave happy with an answer. Most the time you go to doctors you have to wait for results.

I'd ask your peditrician what age they reccommend taking your child to the eye doctor. Usually if there is a problem then you go, when they are small. I have heard when they are 5 but am not sure if it is true as it it was hear say.

Sunshine - posted on 02/24/2009

Most eye doctors will tell you that kids should be checked after they turn 6 months and before they turn 18 months. Once they turn 18 months it is easier to wait until they are 3 or so. Not that you can't do it between 18 months and 3, but kids don't like to cooperate and are kind of shy in that age group. I have seen kids as young as 6 months old getting glasses, there are eye conditions that can be corrected without surgery if caught early enough. My 5 year old wore a patch for a year, and it prevented her lazy eye from getting worse...now she reads and is ahead of her class because she vaules her eyesight.

Cathy - posted on 02/24/2009

Hi, you can actually take them as early as 6 months! After that you can wait until they are about 3. I work at LensCrafters, so I asked when I had my little girl. One thing they said to  watch for is if they lean their head to one side while watching TV, it's an early sign of a lazy eye. Hope that helps:)

Adf0905 - posted on 02/23/2009

My daughter just had her eyes checked earlier this month (she's 16 months old), but only because she was displaying symptoms that her pediatrician was concerned about. Her eyes thankfully were okay, and the ophthalmologist said she doesn't need to be seen again until she's 3, which he also added is when most other kids start to see eye doctors on a yearly basis.

Claudia - posted on 02/23/2009

WOW, I did a bit of research on the internet and found a great site, so I thought I'd share.  Some of these things I hadn't even thought of...

Vision Exams for Children

The American Optometric Association recommends that pre-school children receive a complete vision exam at the ages of six months, three years and five years.  It is particularly important that a child have a complete evaluation in the summer prior to entry into Kindergarten.  While in school, yearly evaluations are recommended. 

20/20 just means that the person can clearly see a certain letter on the standard eye chart (equivalent to what a person with normal vision should be able to see at 20 feet).  There's so much more to healthy vision than 20/20!

evaluate many important visual skills, such as: 



Visual Acuity at Near
Is vision clear and single at close distances? Clear sight at short distances is critical to reading, writing, close work, computer use, etc.

Eye Teaming Skills
Do the two eyes aim, move, and work as a coordinated team? Weaknesses in binocular (two-eyed) vision and eye teaming skills can cause numerous difficulties, including , fixation, etc.? In the classroom, normal eye movements allow rapid and accurate shifting of the eyes along a line of print or from book to desk to board, etc.  In sports, efficient eye movements contribute to eye-hand coordination, visual reaction time, and accurate tracking.

Reversal Frequency
Is confusion or reversal of letters or words (b, d; p, q; saw, was; etc.) within the normal ranges for a given age?  Past the age of seven, frequent visual and written reversals might indicate a visual perceptual dysfunction.

Karen - posted on 02/23/2009

My boys were preemies. So, this might be different. We took them to an pediatric ophthalmologist at I think 1 mth. then again at 6 mths. They had no cornea or retina detachment issues. So, the next time they're required to go is just before they enter kindergarten unless I notice them not seeing well before that.

I now that it's recommended that you take your toddler to the dentist at 1 years old, but we didn't. Mine are 3 1/2 and we still haven't. I'm not worried only because they eat very healthy foods only, and we brush twice a day. Plus, I check their gums occasionally to see that they're still light pink and not read and inflamed. I also check their teet to make sure nothing is wrong like discoloration or chips. We will probably break down and take our boys just before they enter kindergarten.

Hope that helps you out!

Nitsa - posted on 02/23/2009

i take my litle girl when she saw about 1 so i think you can take him to the eye doctor