Pediatric Vision

A common question we hear is how old should my child be before she/he gets an eye exam? Vision is about 90% developed by the first year of life. Early identification of vision problems is critical for the development of normal vision. But don't panic. If your child is 4 to 7 years old and a problem is discovered at that age many interventions will still be effective. Following are some questions to consider when observing your child for possible vision problems:

• When you look at your child do both eyes look directly back at you, or does one eye appear to aim in or out? Note that some eye alignment problems are too subtle to see by observation.

• When your child is engaged in an activitiy such as coloring does the head tilt or turn to one side? This could indicate a possble ey muscle imbalance, or a "lazy eye".

• Is your child having difficulties at school? The area of vision and learning disabilities can be complex and confusing. Basic visual skills such as eye aiming, eye coordination, focussing and smooth eye tracking provide an efficient platform for normal perceptual development. In the area of learning disabilities it is as important to eliminate a visual problem as it is to identify a problems that may be contributing to the overall learning disorder. It is very important to correct any unidentified refractive error such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.

If problems are identified that are not completely correctable by glasses vision therapy may be appropriate. Learning disabilities can involve one or more perceptual systems: tactile, balance, kinesthetic, fine-motor, proprioceptive. In these cases referral to an Occupational Therapist may be appropriate. Occupational Therapy will then develop a treatment plan of exercises and games to help develop underlying sensory-motor or perceptual skills, which provide the foundation of learning. With learning disabilities it is very important to look at the whole picture: from diet and nutrition, to home environment, to medical, visual and sensory/motor and perceptual components.