Pediatric Health Care and Pediatric Ophthalmology

Pediatric Health recommendations for child eyecare

Both the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) and the American Optometric Association (AOA) recommend that every child have a pediatric eye exam at 6 months, at 3 years, at 5 years (or upon entering school) and every two years throughout the school ages. Although good children's vision health and pediatrics eyecare begins at birth with the physician examines the baby, it's a good idea for a pediatric eye doctor or child ophthalmologist to observe how a 6-month-old baby focuses, and that both eyes are used. Pediatric opthalmology, baby eye care, infant eye care, and child eye care should not be neglected.

Pediatric Eye Exam performed by a pediatric ophthalmologist to check a child’s vision health for congenital and other conditions

A pediatric examination by a pediatric ophthalmologist or a pediatric optometrist should be done at age 5 or as soon as a child reaches school age. This exam will include an overall look at the appearance of the eye, checking for signs of squinting, drooping of eyelids, facial muscle twitches, signs of irritation such as redness or swelling and a check of pupil function. The eye care professional will further assess pediatric wellness by performing the following checks: Eye alignment, near convergence, near point of accommodation, stereopsis, color vision and confrontation fields, congenital ambylopia, rhabdomysarcoma or peripheral vision testing. Good pediatric eyecare includes checks for eye diseases and conditions such as: AIDS-related eye disorders, eye allergies , bardet biedel syndrome, basal cell nevus syndrome, batten disease, crossed eyes, retina blastoma, achromatopsia or color blindness - color vision deficiency, cendotropia, exotropia, droopy eyelids itchy or red eyes, congenital amblyopia or lazy eye, myopia, nasal lacrimal system defects, nystagmus, overconvergence, presbyopia, pupil, good pupil dilation, retinoblastoma, strabismus or crossed-eyes, red, itchy or excessive tearing of the eyes stye, tay sachs disease, trachoma, uveitis, visual acuity, crossed-eyes, rhabdomyosarcoma, retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), nasal-lacrimal defect, congenital cataracts, nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. In some cases children's glasses (childrens eyeglasses) or children's contact lenses may be prescribed.