As a parent, you may wonder whether your child has a vision problem, or when you should schedule their first eye exam.
Eye exams for children are extremely important. Early identification of a child’s vision problem can be crucial because children often are more responsive to treatment when problems are diagnosed early.

Early eye exams also are important because children need the following basic skills related to good eyesight for learning:

• Near vision
• Distance vision
• Binocular (two eyes) coordination
• Eye movement skills
• Focusing skills
• Peripheral awareness
• Hand-eye coordination

The eye exam includes vision and eye alignment testing, an eye health evaluation, and determining whether spectacles are needed and a prescription, if necessary.