Children’s Eye Care

Regular eye exams are essential for your child’s vision and development. Pediatric eye care uses age-appropriate techniques and technology to support accurate testing for young children.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), children should have eye exams at 6 months, at age 3, at the start of school, and annually after that. If a child shows signs of vision problems or has risk factors such as developmental delays, premature birth, crossed or lazy eyes, family history, or prior injury, they may need more frequent exams. Children who wear eyeglasses or contact lenses should have annual eye exams.

A young girl is holding a pair of red glasses in her hands while looking at them in a store

Why Pediatric Eye Exams Matter

Experts estimate that 80% of learning is visual, so difficulty seeing clearly can affect your child’s learning. This is especially true for infants who develop and learn about the world around them through their sense of sight. Children need eye exams at key developmental stages to support healthy vision and growth.

A smiling young boy with glasses lying on a bed with pillows in a room

Eye Exams in Infants: Birth-24 Months

A baby’s visual system develops gradually over the first few months of life. They learn to focus, move their eyes, and use them together. The brain also learns to process visual information to understand and interact with the world. Vision development supports motor skills such as crawling, walking, and hand-eye coordination.

Monitor your baby’s development and schedule a comprehensive eye exam at 6 months to support healthy milestones. During this exam, the doctor checks vision development and screens for conditions such as strabismus (eye misalignment), farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism.

Infants born prematurely or showing developmental delays may need more frequent visits to monitor their progress.

Eye Exams for Preschool Children: Ages 2-5

The toddler and preschool years are a period of rapid intellectual and motor development. During this time, children develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and perceptual abilities that prepare them for reading, writing, sports, and creative activities such as drawing, sculpting, and building. These skills depend on healthy vision and visual processing.

This is the age when parents should watch for signs of lazy eye (amblyopia), when one eye doesn’t see clearly, or crossed eyes (strabismus), when one or both eyes turn inward or outward. Treating these conditions early leads to higher success rates.

Parents should also watch for delays in object, number, or letter recognition, color recognition, or coordination, as vision problems can cause these issues. If your child squints, rubs their eyes frequently, sits very close to the TV or reading material, or avoids activities like puzzles or coloring, schedule an eye exam.

Eye Exams for School-Aged Kids: Ages 6-18

Undetected or uncorrected vision problems can affect children and teens academically, socially, athletically, and personally. If your child is having trouble in school or after-school activities, there could be an underlying vision problem. Learning, motor development, reading, and other skills depend on both clear vision and how well the eyes work together. Children with difficulties in focusing, reading, eye teaming, or hand-eye coordination may experience frustration and behavioral challenges. Many children don’t realize their vision is abnormal, so they may not ask for help.

In addition to the symptoms written above, signs of vision problems in older children include:

Short attention span
Headaches
Frequent blinking
Avoiding reading
Tilting the head to one side
Frequently losing their place while reading
Double vision
Poor reading comprehension

What Happens During an Eye Exam

In addition to visual acuity (distance and near vision), an eye exam may assess the following skills needed for learning and mobility:

Binocular vision: how the eyes work together as a team
Focusing
Peripheral vision
Color vision
Hand-eye coordination
Tracking

The doctor will also examine the eye and surrounding areas to check for disease or other health conditions. Share relevant medical history, including premature birth, developmental delays, family history of eye problems, injuries, or medications. This is also the time to address any concerns that may indicate a vision problem.

A young girl with her parents at an optometrist's office getting an eye exam.

Vision Treatment Options for Children

If your child has a vision problem, the doctor may recommend treatments such as eyeglasses, contact lenses, an eye patch, vision therapy, or ortho-k, depending on the condition. Because many conditions are easier to treat early, prompt diagnosis is important while the eyes are still developing.

Following eye exam guidelines and watching for vision problems can help your child reach their full potential.