Your child’s vision is an essential part of their ability to discover and interact with the world around them. Vision problems in infants can cause developmental delays, and school-age children can fall significantly behind their peers if they’re not able to properly see what’s going on in the classroom. This is why it’s so important to make sure that your child is seeing the world clearly as they grow.
At Prairie Eye Care in Edmonton, we offer pediatric eye exams starting as young as 6 months. We evaluate your child’s entire visual system at every visit. This means not only checking if they need glasses (or an upgraded prescription), but also making sure their eyes are working together efficiently as a team, and monitoring for any signs of eye diseases or conditions that can be sight-threatening without proper treatment.
What are Pediatric Eye Exams Like at Our Edmonton Clinic?
Our eye care team knows that children aren’t just tiny adults. They process experiences differently, and have different needs and preferences. That’s why we tailor every exam to your child’s age, needs, and abilities. We want your child to have a positive eye care experience with their eye doctor, while at the same time getting the information we need to help keep their vision clear and eyes healthy. Here’s a taste of some of the ways we do it:
Matching Your Child’s Energy. Every kid is different. Some bounce off the walls with energy, and can’t stop talking, while others are more shy and quiet. We get that. We work with kids every day, and are ready to match the energy they bring to the exam, so they can feel comfortable and in control.
Testing Visual Acuity and 3D vision. Because we start our exams as early as 6 months old, some of our tiniest patients aren’t quite talking yet. That’s ok! For those who haven’t quite gotten talking and reading down yet, we have special card-based tests with pictures instead of letters. All we need to do is observe if and how your child registers the images on the cards, and we can get an accurate idea of their visual clarity. Once they can read and identify letters, we can use a normal Snellen chart, like adults use.
Testing Muscles Around the Eye. Our eye doctors check eye muscle movement by asking adults to follow a pen with their eyes as the doctor moves it around. For some children, that can be pretty boring. That’s why, with children, we ask them to use their eyes to follow various toys, dolls, or bright, colorful pictures to test their eye muscles.
Making Dilating Drops No Big Deal. Dilating drops can sometimes be uncomfortable and scary for kids. If your child’s eye exam requires them, we make sure your child knows they’re no big deal. It’s like splashing water in their eyes during bathtime! We distract them with conversation, so they don’t think too hard.
Want to know more about the importance of pediatric eye exams, and how we make exams fun for your child? Come visit our Edmonton eye doctors at Prairie Eye Care or give us a call at 1 833-828-2020 today!