Pediatric Ophthalmologist in Troy, MI
Pediatric eye care or children’s eye exams are very important. As a parent, you may be wondering when should be your child’s first exam and if something is wrong with their vision.
At Oakland Eye Clinic, we offer comprehensive eye exams and vision correction treatment for children at any age. We serve eye care patients both children and adults throughout Michigan, including Rochester Hills and Detroit.
According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), children should have their first eye exam at 6 months old. Additional eye exams should then be scheduled at three years old and at five years old or just before kindergarten. Children who may have eye problems or vision impairments at this age should receive annual eye exams.
Likewise, children who wear glasses or contact lenses will need annual exams, if no vision correction is required and the eyes are healthy, you may bring in your child every other year. Please read the paragraphs below to learn more about pediatric eye care at Oakland Eye Clinic.
Children Eye Exams: What to Expect
Children’s eye exams are very similar to those of adults. The comprehensive eye exams performed on children will focus on examining the following:
- Distance vision
- Near vision
- Eye focus
- Eye movement
- Eye teaming
- Peripheral vision
- Eye/hand movement coordination
In order for children to learn and develop normally, all of the above eye functions need to be in the normal range.
In fact, many children will notice that their learning skills are affected if they have problems and eye exams have not been scheduled to address any irregularities.
To preserve your child’s vision and increase their health and overall learning ability, routine eye exams are extremely important.
Eye Exams for Infants
Eye exams for infants are usually performed to make sure that the child’s vision and eye function is developing normally. During eye exams on infants, Dr. Hakimzadeh will test the following:
- Pupil response: a light will be introduced and then removed in front of the baby’s eyes to make sure the pupils are closing and opening properly in the presence and absence of light
- Fixate and follow test: The baby should be able to fixate on an object and then follow it with their eyes as it moves away or toward the face. At 6 months old, infants are able to do this very well as this skill develops at 3 months old
- Preferential looking: during this test cards that are blank on one side and have stripes on the other are introduced to the child to attract their vision to the striped side and determine normal vision capabilities
Please contact us today to schedule your baby’s first eye exam.
Eye Exams for Pre-School Children
Eye exams for pre-school children are generally centered around proper function and making sure their vision is properly tuned for seeing and learning well. The most common eye exams for pre-school children include:
- LEA Symbols: This vision acuity exam is similar to the eye exam for adults, except that instead of letters, children are shown symbols such as hose, apple, circle, triangle, and so on. This is because often pre-school children have not yet learned the alphabet.
- Retinoscopy: This test helps us determine whether the child needs glasses. It is performed by introducing light to the eye to see how it reflects in the retina, which is the light sensitive lining located at the back of the eye.
- Random Dot Stereopsis: Here we introduce a dot pattern to see how the eyes work together.
Eye Exams for Children in School
According to research, more than 80% of learning material that is presented to children in school is presented visually. Having low vision can put a child’s learning ability at a disadvantage.
Therefore, children in school should receive annual eye exams to ensure the eyes are functioning properly and they can see well. If the child needs prescription glasses or contact lenses, we will be more than happy to provide the service.
Children in school who visit us for eye exams will be tested for visual acuity as well as the proper function of the eyes. If your child needs further treatment, our doctor is an experienced ophthalmologist who has been performing pediatric eye care for decades. You can rest assured your child is in good hands.
Common Eye Health Issues Found in Children
In addition to examining children for refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, our Dr. Hakimzadeh will also look for signs of common eye problems that affect children, including but not limited to:
- Focusing Problems: Some children may have difficulty adjusting their eye focus on various distances. This can be treated successfully with vision correction therapy
- Amblyopia: also known as “lazy eye” is common in children and can be treated by patching the dominant eye to promote a strengthening of the weaker eye.
- Strabismus: This is a misalignment of the eyes and it is usually caused by congenital defects during development. Strabismus can be successfully treated with a variety of procedures, including eye surgery.
- Convergence insufficiency: This problem is characterized by the child’s inability to keep the eyes properly aligned for near distance tasks and can be treated with vision correction therapy.
- Eye team problems: This is when the child’s eyes don’t work as a team. Children with this condition will have trouble with coordination and depth perception. Luckily, when detected on time, treatment is generally very successful.
Your Child’s Eye Evaluation At Oakland Eye Clinic
Please call us today to schedule your child’s eye exam. As previously mentioned, your child should undergo routine eye exams, starting at only 6 months old.
At Oakland Eye Clinic we offer full eye care services for both children and adults and can easily treat a range of eye vision and eye function problems with ease and convenience to you and your family.
When you bring in your child, please be sure to tell us about the child’s medical history from birth, especially any development problems and/or birth defects. Likewise, we will need to know of any medications and supplements your child is taking as well as any allergies.
We look forward to seeing you at our eye care clinic in Rochester Hills.
Thank You for Choosing Oakland Eye Clinic
