Children’s Vision
Understand your child’s visual needs and plan for the future.
What is different about children’s vision?
Our paediatric clinic considers visual motor and cognitive skills, assessing both the functioning of the eyes as well as the brain.
The approach assesses how a child processes and interprets visual information and helps detect problems that may accompany or contribute to learning difficulties.
The way a child interprets what they see does not depend solely on the clarity of their vision.
What happens during a children’s vision test?
The eye test will include consideration of the following:
Measurement of near focus and eye coordination. This can impact visual comfort and performance when reading, writing and using computers.
Measurement of distance focus and ability to change focus from distance to near work.
Assessment and treatment of lazy eye (amblyopia) and turned eye(strabismus). Assessment of tracking eye movement skills for reading fluency.
Assessment of vision perception, or processing, to ensure these abilities are normally developed for a patient’s age.
Assessment and management of visual issues associated with health or neurological conditions.
When should my child have an eye test?
We recommend that all children receive a routine eye examination prior to commencing school to ensure that there are no vision problems that would impede their ability to learn. Thereafter, we recommend an eye examination every 18 months - 3 years unless advised otherwise by an optometrist.
There is evidence that:
Many children with reading difficulties also have a vision problem
One in five children have a vision problem that impacts on efficient learning
These vision problems often relate to focusing and eye teaming
Children’s Vision FAQs
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The assessment of your child’s vision can vary based on the eyecare philosophy of an optometry practice.
For Eyes Optometrist is a behavioural optometry practice and therefore will assess not only a child’s ability to see but also their visual development and skills. Visual skills affect how they interpret and understand visual information.
For example, the assessment of your child’s vision will go beyond the requirement to provide clear vision. It will include:
• vision comfort
• the accuracy and ease of eye movements
• the effort required to maintain focus and control, and
• the ability of the eyes to work together -
Yes. Our optometrists have been conducting children vision eye tests for over 10 years. They see children from as young as a few months old. They are very experienced in assessing their needs and providing clear recommendations.
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Making sure your child’s eye health remains stable doesn’t just involve regular visits to an optometrist. There are other ways you can reduce the risk of vision problems such as limiting the amount of screen time and encouraging outdoor activities.
One of the main eye health issues associated with screen time is myopia, or short sightedness. This can impact a child’s eye health and academic development
The amount of time spent outdoors has also been identified as an important factor in reducing myopia in children.
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We recommend that all children have an eye test prior to commencing school to ensure that there are no vision problems that would impede their ability to learn.
Thereafter, we recommend an eye test every 18 months unless advised otherwise by our optometrists.
If your child is a new patient to our practice, it is important that we gather as much information as possible regarding their ocular history, general health and family history.
Please complete our Welcome to For Eyes Optometrist form (refer to Eye Tests page) and either email to our practice (reception@foreyes.com.au) before the appointment or bring it with you to your first appointment. If you are unable to complete the form in advance, please arrive at least 10 minutes before your appointment time to complete the form in the practice.