Children's eye examinations are a very important part of their mental and behavioral development. The American Optometric Association guidlines recommend that all children have a complete vision and eye health examination at the age of 6 months, 3 years, upon entering Kindergarden, and routine vision care thereafter throughout their school years.

Children with visual problems often do not know they have a vision problem. Studies show that approximately 20% of school-aged children suffer from eye coordination or focusing deficits which make vision-related tasks difficult.
       

In addition, according to a study by the Ratner Children's Eye Center of the University of California @ San Diego, because these vision problems that are undetected or unnoticed in children causes them to have difficulty keeping both eyes focused on a close target, it makes them more difficult for them to concentrate on reading. Many of these vision problems cause a child to become highly distractable, have short attention spans, make careless errors, fail to complete assignments, and are often figety. These same vision-related problems are similar to symptoms of children wtih Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Therefore, many children are misdiagnosed with having ADD and prescribed unnecessary medications, when the true solution in many cases was a pair of prescription glasses. 

Also, infant eye screening and examinations are just as important in the proper development of the child. Cooing, sitting up and crawling are signs that your baby is growing. Your baby's vision has stages of development too, but usually there are no signs to mark the progress.

The American Optometric Association (link to www.aoa.org) encourages parents to include a trip to the optometrist in the list of well-baby check-ups. Assessments at six to twelve months of age can determine healthy development of vision. Early detection of eye conditions is the best way to ensure your child has healthy vision for successful development—now and in the future.

www.infantsee.org

Children and undiagnosed eye disorders are more likely to have to repeat a grade level in school, have behavior problems, and perform below their intellectual levels.

“InfantSEE is a public health program designed to ensure that eye and vision care becomes an integral part of infant wellness care to improve a child's quality of life. Under this program, Dr. Kikunaga can provide a comprehensive infant eye assessment within the first year of life as a no cost public health service.”