The Doctors of Optometry at Brighton Eye Associates, serving Brighton, CO and the surrounding area, offer eye exams to toddlers and babies. And although they can’t verbally respond to us an eye examination will help us determine if your child has any problems with his or her eye health.
Importance of a Toddler or Baby Eye Exam
A baby or a toddler could have an issue with his or her eyes that affects development. If detected early vision problems are much more treatable. Lazy eye or amblyopia that is not corrected early could lead to a more severe and irreversible lazy eye later.
When to Get Your Baby or Toddler’s First Exam
Despite your baby being unable to communicate with us, we advise you to bring your infant into our office for an exam between the ages of six to 12 months. You might notice certain issues that could warrant a visit to the eye doctor. Symptoms of concern: crossing of the eyes, rubbing the eyes with the hands, not responding to a family members face until very close, not crawling on time.
Strabismus is a condition where the eyes aren’t aligned properly and don’t move together. You should bring your child to us if your child’s eyes seem to jump or wiggle around for longer than just the first three months of life. We also advise you to bring your infant or toddler in for an eye exam if your son or daughter suffers from an eye injury or any physical changes of the eye occur that concern you.
What to Expect at Your Baby’s First Exam
Even if you don’t notice any signs of an eye or vision problem in your baby, we recommend you schedule an appointment for a well-baby exam. During this examination, you will begin the appointment by filling out paperwork based on your child’s vision and eye health. The questionnaire will inquire about your child’s family history of eye or vision problems on both sides of the family.
Our optometrists will conduct a penlight exam of your child’s eyelids and eyeballs. Our doctor is looking to see that the eyelids and eyeballs are normally formed. The eye doctor will check to see if the pupils are the same size and look for any signs of infection or disease. During the eye exams for toddlers and babies, we check how your kid’s eyes move together and alone.
Our eye doctor will have your child follow an object with his or her eyes. We focus on how your baby’s eyes respond. We’re looking to see if both eyes respond the same. The doctors will dim the lights in the room to get a better view of the internal tissues of the eye. We like the baby to be a little hungry at the exam but not starving. Bringing a bottle helps calm the baby if they become upset during the evaluation.
Schedule an Eye Exam At Brighton Eye Associates
If you have a bundle of joy who’s three years old or younger, you should schedule an eye exam at Brighton Eye Associates, serving Brighton, CO and the surrounding area, by calling us at (303) 659-3036 to get an early start of a good eye and vision health.