Vision & Age
What To Expect From Your Child's Eye Exam
To some extent, eye exams vary depending on the age of your child. For instance, an older child may be asked to identify letters, whereas a younger child will be shown pictures of animals and toys. However, the key points of most eye exams are similar. First, the doctor will review your child's personal health and your family's health history. Then they will conduct tests to check for
- Vision: By dilating your child's eyes, the doctor can check for shortsightedness, longsightedness, and astigmatism. The child then may be shown pictures or an eye chart, to measure their vision precisely, and, if necessary, determine a prescription for glasses.
- Alignment: The doctor will give your child 3D glasses, and ask them to choose the 3D images among a series of pictures. This fun exercise tests whether your child's eyes are working in synch; if not, there may be a problem with alignment.
- Coordination of eye muscles: The doctor will move a light in a set pattern to test your child's ability to see sharply and clearly at near and far distances.
- Side (peripheral) vision: The doctor will move an object at the edge of your child's field of vision.
- Pupil response to light: The doctor will shine a light in your child's eye and watch the pupil's reaction.
- Color testing: The doctor will ask your child to describe figures in a series of illustrations made up of numerous colored dots or circles. This tests the ability to differentiate colors.
- Eyelid health and function: The doctor will examine the eyelid.
- The interior and back of the eye: After dilating your child's eyes (by both using a few eye drops and dimming the lights so the pupils will widen), the doctor will use a special instrument called an ophthalmoscope to see through to the retina and optic nerve at the back of the eye. This is where clues to many eye diseases first show up.
- Measurement of fluid pressure: The doctor will release a puff of air onto the eyeball using an instrument called a tonometer. This tests the pressure inside the eyeball, an early indicator of glaucoma and other diseases. This should be done on anyone old enough to cooperate.
