P Is for Pediatric—Should You Take Your Child to a Pediatric or Regular Eye Doctor? 

Comprehensive eye exams for your children, starting during infancy, are essential to spot and treat developmental problems that—if not corrected—could affect their vision for the rest of their lives.

Schedule an eye exam with an eye care professional as soon as possible if you spot signs that could indicate your child has vision problems.

Should your child see a provider who specializes in vision problems found in children?

Eye exams for children differ from those for adults in several ways: 

1. Checking for different eye conditions

   Unlike adults, children are rarely screened for cataracts and glaucoma. Rather, the doctor will assess eye alignment and movement, color blindness, depth perception, side vision and eye pressure.  

2. Different equipment

   If you’ve had your eye tested, you know about the phoropter, an instrument with several binocular-looking devices where you have to look at two images of the same letter and tell the eye care provider which one is clearer. Children have a tough time articulating blurriness, so the doctor will use a retinoscope instead to observe the reflex of their retina.

3. Different tests to assess visual acuity and depth perception

   Young children typically don’t read well enough to identify the letters on an eye chart. Instead, they are given two images, one patterned and one blank. The eye doctor will watch for the child’s tendency to look toward the patterned image. A similar picture comparison will also allow clues about the child’s depth perception.

4. Functional eye exams

   Just like in school, the eye care provider will conduct some tests with your child to check whether they confuse or reverse letters, identify colors or how well they can read text on a marker board.

5. Fun and games

Pediatric eye doctors will often play with the children to make them feel at ease. That’s fun for the kids but serious work for the provider who has been trained to examine the child’s eye alignment, head-posture, eye-hand coordination, tracking and peripheral vision while playing.

Schedule an eye care appointment for your child

You may prefer to schedule an appointment for your child with a pediatric eye care provider, although most eye doctors welcome patients of all ages, including children. This handy tool will help you find one. 

Regular eye exams are recommended for children at age 6 months, 3 years and before they start Kindergarten. Most insurance companies cover such preventive care appointments at little to no cost to you. 

If you are looking for vision coverage for individuals, families or groups, check out our affordable, comprehensive insurance plans.