Children’s Eye Exam
Children Under the Age of 3
Children should be brought in to see an optometrist as early as 6 months old. Our pediatric optometrists will be looking for common eye problems like crossed or misaligned eyes, and lazy eye. Bring your child in for an eye exam should you have any concerns about your child’s vision.
School Age Children and Adolescents
School-age kids often experience vision problems. Unfortunately, children often cannot tell if they are having vision problems because they assume everyone sees the way they do. According to the Alberta College of Optometrists, one in four school-age children have vision problems that. If left untreated, these problems could have a major impact on their development and progress in school.
Your child may be struggling if you notice your child exhibiting any of the following symptoms:
- Headaches or irritability
- Short attention span
- Tilting their heads to one side
- Covering one eye
- Losing their place while reading
- Seeing double
- Holding reading materials close to their face
Set your child up for success by having their vision checked before they enter kindergarten. Even if your child is not displaying any symptoms, it is important for your child to have a complete optometric eye exam annually throughout the school years to ensure optimal eye health and developmental progress.
Some conditions that we are able to identify and treat your child for include:
- Myopia or nearsightedness (blurred vision when seeing objects at a distance)
- Hyperopia or farsightedness (blurred vision when seeing objects up close)
- Astigmatism (distorted vision at all distances)
Children’s Eye Exams Are Covered By Alberta Health Care Until The Child Turn’s 19
Adult’s & Senior’s Comprehensive Eye Exams
For adults, a regular eye exam is an important part of maintaining your overall health and making your vision last a lifetime. Without an eye exam, critical health issues can be overlooked until it’s too late.
Our eyes change as we age. In particular, people over the age of 40 may be at an increased risk for age-related eye conditions, some of which may have no visible symptoms until the condition is advanced and difficult, or even impossible, to treat.
Common Eye Problems
The most common eye problems among adults include:
- Presbyopia: a natural effect of aging in which the ability to focus on close objects decreases over time. Presbyopia can cause headaches, blurred vision, and the need for more light or sore eyes.
- Cataracts: distorted or cloudy vision caused by the lens inside the eye losing its transparency over time. Cataracts can require changes to your glasses or surgical removal.
- Diabetic Retinopathy: a weakening or swelling of the tiny blood vessels in the retina of your eye, and the growth of new blood vessels resulting in blood leakage and other changes. If left untreated, blindness can result.
- Macular degeneration: a disease that results in degenerative changes to your central vision, and is a leading cause of vision loss among older adults.
- Glaucoma: a “silent thief” that often has no symptoms until significant damage has occurred. Glaucoma is caused by elevated pressure within the eye, and can lead to serious vision loss if not detected and treated at an early stage.
Your eyes are also windows to your overall health, and an eye exam can also uncover underlying—and life-threatening—health issues, such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, certain vascular diseases and brain or eye tumors.
Ongoing Care
Adults aged 19 to 64 should have an eye exam at least every two years, and people with diabetes should have an exam at least once a year. Other health conditions assessed by your Doctor of Optometry may also warrant more frequent eye examinations.