October 2018

Start early to make sure your child has healthy eyes for a lifetime, advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC recommends that your child be checked for vision problems by an ophthalmologist, optometrist, pediatrician or other trained specialist at:

• newborn to 3 months
• 6 months to 1 year
• about 3 years (preschool)
• about 5 years (kindergarten)

According to the CDC, less than 15 percent of U.S. preschool children receive an eye exam and less than 22 percent receive vision screening. Vision screening can reveal a possible vision problem, but can’t diagnose it. A comprehensive dilated eye exam is needed to diagnose eye diseases.

Amblyopia (reduced vision because the eye and brain aren’t working together properly) is the most common cause of vision loss in children, affecting 2 to 3 out of 100 children. Amblyopia needs to be treated promptly to help avoid vision loss.

Now’s the time to schedule that back-to-school eye exam!