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Children's Eye Exams in Lindsay

Name: Russell West Optometry
Address: 67 Russell Street West, Lindsay, ON, K9V 2X1
Telephone: (705) 324-2612

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Preserve Your Child’s Gift of Sight

It can be amazing to see how your child uses their eyes to discover the world around them. Your child’s ability to see is a gift, and we can help protect that gift as they grow.

You want what’s best for your child, and one of the best ways to preserve and protect your child’s vision is by taking them for regular eye exams. Not only can they help detect refractive errors like myopia and hyperopia, but they can also detect signs of developing eye diseases even before your child notices symptoms.

Please, give our team a call today or fill out our appointment booking form, and we’ll help your child stay on track to excellent eye health.

When Should Your Child Have an Eye Exam?

The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) recommends the following exam schedule for children. However, we recognize that each child is different, and some may need more frequent eye exams. Please be sure to speak to your optometrist so we can work with you to determine the best exam schedule for your child.

Infants

The COA recommends children have their first eye exam when they are between 6 to 9 months old.

During the first couple of months of life, your child’s eyes are continually changing and developing. In essence, their visual horizon expands considerably, they develop colour vision, and they learn how to use their eyes together as a team.

However, your child may develop signs of strabismus (crossed-eyes) and amblyopia (lazy eye) during their first 6 months. If caught early enough, these conditions can be treated using glasses or contact lenses.

Pre-Schoolers

The CAO recommends children have an eye exam at least once between 1 and 5 years old so your optometrist can monitor how well their eyes are helping them navigate the world around them. Between 1 and 2 years old, your child is developing their hand-eye coordination, and you can help nurture this growth by letting them play with blocks, balls, or other child-friendly toys that rely on hand-eye coordination.

School-Age Children

From the age of 5 and up, your child should be having annual eye exams. Once your child enters school, they begin to rely on their vision more than ever. In fact, how well your child performs in school and plays sports depends heavily on their ability to see the world clearly.

Annual eye exams can help you monitor your child’s eye health and vision, and set them up for success!

How to Tell if Your Child is Experiencing Vision Problems

Your child might be too young to tell you they’re having an issue with their vision. Even though they might not be able to tell you, this doesn’t mean an issue doesn’t exist. Some signs you can look for include:

Red, itchy, and watery eyes
Constantly squinting and adjusting their head to see
Sitting close to the television or holding a book close to their face
A lack of concentration and short attention span
Unexplained irritability
Using their finger to keep their place while reading

What to Expect From Your Child’s Eye Exam

We work tirelessly to help ensure your child’s eye exam experience is as relaxed and comfortable as possible. No matter the issue, we can help your child get the care they need.

At the start of the exam, we’ll have a quick chat about your child’s health and family history. We also encourage you to ask as many questions as you like, whether it’s about your child’s eye health or about the exam itself. The more information you can provide to us, the better we can tailor the exam to meet your child’s needs!

After our chat, we’ll assess your child’s vision. These assessments will determine your child’s prescription and let you know if they require glasses or contact lenses.

Finally, we will then take a comprehensive look at your child’s eye health. Many eye diseases & conditions develop without symptoms. Fortunately, we can use the latest in eye care technology to possibly catch these issues before they cause permanent damage to your child’s vision.