Pediatric Exams From Our Optometrist in Midland, TX
Most proud parents regard their new babies as "perfect" -- but genuine perfection can be hard to come by, at least where the eyes and vision are concerned. Even in the first months of life, functional problems or other obstacles to normal visual development can cause problems that extend into later life. The best way to help your child enjoy optimal eyesight is by scheduling pediatric exams from our optometrist in Midland, TX, Dr. Aaron Urias.
Little Eyes Can Face Big Challenges
Babies aren't born with 20/20 vision, even when their eyes are perfectly healthy and functional. That's because vision actually comes together in the brain, meaning that the brain and the eyes must teach themselves how to work together. This developmental process can be impaired by problems such as:
- Refractive errors that affect near or distance vision
- Strabismus, in which the eyes are misaligned with each other
- Ptosis, a droopy eyelid that partly obscures vision
- Juvenile cataracts or other diseases
These issues need to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible so your child's vision can develop as it should and provide clear eyesight during the school years. An undiagnosed vision problem can not only cause eye strain, fatigue, and poor academic performance -- it may even be mistaken for a learning disability.
Your Child's Comprehensive Eye and Vision Exams
The AOA recommends regular comprehensive eye and vision exams for children as well as adults. But these pediatric exams follow a somewhat different schedule early in life. Your child's first exam should occur at age of 6 months so we can identify basic functional abnormalities or eye diseases. The second exam occurs at age 3; this exam continues to check eye health and eye function, but it also includes interaction with your child to get a better idea of how he's seeing. The third major exam is the age 5-6 "ready for school" exam, in which we place special emphasis on refractive errors that may need to be corrected with eyeglasses. During your child's school years, we may recommend eye exams every 2 years unless we're treating a refractive error or other issue, in which case an annual exam is needed.
Call Our Optometry Center Today
It's never too early to start thinking about your child's ocular well-being. If you want to learn more about our pediatric eye care services, or if it's time to schedule a critical pediatric eye exam, call Urias Eyecare at (432) 368-4102 today. Our optometry center cares about your little's ones eyesight!
