Pediatrics
(Children's Eye Care)

"80% of all learning during a child's first 12 years is obtained through vision."
--American Optometric Association News, October 2000

DID YOU KNOW?
"Vision disorders are the fourth most common disability in the United States?"
"Vision disorders are the most prevalent handicapping condition in childhood?"
"That at least 1 out of 10 children are at risk from undetected vision problems?"
"That amblyopia (lazy eye), a leading cause of loss of vision in people younger than 45, could possibly be eliminated if all children received routine eye and vision exams?"
-- Review of Optometry, November 15, 2000

The American Optometric Association (AOA), and we at SVC, strongly encourage you to have your children examined by an Eye Care Professional by the age of 3 years old.  As well, the American Public Health Association enacted a policy resolution calling for all children to have a comprehensive exam before entering school.  This policy is also endorsed by Prevent Blindness America (PBA).  In too many cases, we see children for their first exam at 10 years of age or older, who have eye problems (such as a "lazy eye") that could have been treated, and possibly corrected, if they would have been examined at a younger age.  Generally, after the age of 7-10 years, children's eyes have developed and matured to the point where treating and correcting problems becomes very difficult.
The condition where vision does not develop properly in one or both eyes due to an eye turn or a high prescription, is called Amblyopia.  As mentioned above, this condition is correctible in many cases, but it needs to be detected and treated as early as possible.

Have your child examined again at age 5 (before they start school), and then on a yearly basis throughout their school years.  As children age and mature, they become more aware of their vision, so their visual demands change.  Vision becomes a more integral part of their lives - in schooling, sports, and daily life.  What you, as a parent, hope to do, is provide your children with the opportunity to study, learn, and compete at the same level as everyone else.  By making sure that your children have perfectly corrected and comfortable vision, you accomplish this for you and your child.

At SVC, we will perform a comprehensive exam on your child and determine if any corrective lenses are required, if any visual training is necessary, or if a referral to a specialist is necessary.

Why take chances with your child's vision?  

Quotes from Pediatric Ophthalmologists (Children's Eye Specialists)

" The best time for a complete eye exam for a child with both eyes lined up, who appears to see normally and has no family history of early eye problems, is between three and four years of age."
Gerhard Cibis, M.D.
Ophthalmology Chief, Children's Mercy Hospital (KC, MO)

"An eye exam for children with no vision problems may seem like an unnecessary expense, but once vision is lost to amblyopia, sight can, in most cases, only be restored during a critical period in early childhood - usually birth to about age four."
Alan B. Richards, M.D.
Pediatric Ophthalmologist

"All children should have a first eye exam by age 3 or 4 to screen for amblyopia.  Parents may be unaware of the development of this condition because the eyes may appear to have straight alignment."
Alabama Academy of Ophthalmology

"A complete eye exam (including refraction with dilation of pupils) is a good idea before going to school.  Early detection can lead to better performance in school, and avoid many other problems, both scholastic and social, later on."
Robert Abel, Jr., M.D.
Professor of Ophthalmology, Thomas Jefferson Univ.

"Prevention really is the best treatment for protecting our eyesight throughout our lives.  It's recommended that children receive their first complete eye exam... before they enter kindergarten."
Sue F. Kao, M.D.
Ophthalmologist, Milwaukee Medical Clinic

Call to make an appointment today (714-979-2021).