Why Children Should Get Routine Eye Exams

CLEVELAND - August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month.

If your child hasn’t had an eye exam in a while, now is a good time to get one – especially with school just around the corner.

“As we're starting to think about going back to school and getting the kids out of the summer activities and into learning, we want to make sure that everything is optimized for them to be able to learn without anything holding them back. And their vision is one of those things where we want to make sure that the kids can see well enough to learn,” said Allison Babiuch, MD, ophthalmologist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. 

Dr. Babiuch said sometimes a child may not know they have vision issues because it’s something they’ve always dealt with, or maybe they’re just too young to realize. 

In those situations, there are signs a parent can look out for, such as squinting, tilting their head, or trying to stand closer to whatever it is they are trying to see. 

She adds that it’s never too early to take your child in for an eye exam. 

“It used to be that you would just read a chart of letters, like the old-fashioned way. Now they have new vision screening devices, which they can use even in babies as young as six months old where they hold up a little screening device in front of their eyes and it can detect vision issues,” she said. 

Dr. Babiuch said if you have a family history of vision problems, it’s important to let your child’s pediatrician know. 

That way they can decide what may be necessary.