- 6 Months Old: Infants should have their first comprehensive eye exam at 6 months of age.
- 3 Years Old: Following the initial exam in infancy, children then should receive an additional checkup at 3 years of age.
- School Age Children: The next exam should occur at 5 years of age or before entering kindergarten and every year thereafter if no vision correction is required.
Please note: Children who need eyeglasses or contact lenses should be examined annually or according to their eye doctor’s recommendations.
There are many significant benefits to taking care of your child’s eyes early on. Need an easy way to remember the impacts? Let’s go back to the number one item on you ‘firsts’ list – a trip to the happiest place on earth. At Disneyland children under the age of seven may not ride alone, and should be accompanied by a person age 14 or over. While 7-years-old means a more independent experience at the popular theme park, something very significant happens with a child’s vision at this age as well. A child’s eyes will continue to develop until he or she reaches about 7 years of age. At this point, the eyes have reached full maturity and it is much more difficult to correct permanent vision problems that could have been avoided.
Currently, 1 in 4 children have an undetected vision problem and 20 percent struggle to read because of vision problems.
This fall we plan to take Alexander, my son, to meet Mickey Mouse at the Magic Kingdom for his second birthday, but we have also planned an equally important trip to the optometrist the following year to make sure Mickey looks just as clear and magical at seven.
To learn more about when to take your child for an eye exam and tips on eye health for children visit: http://www.seemuchmore.com/get-your-kids-involved
This is a guest post by VSP employee, Yessenia A.