When should my infant or toddler have their eyes examined?

The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends a minimum of three eye exams prior to your child’s first year in school. The first exam should be done at age six months to check for general eye health, including unequal near or far sightedness, astigmatism and eye movement development. Your child should have additional comprehensive eye exams at ages three and five to make sure that their visual system is developing properly. The earlier a visual problem is detected and treated, the less likely it is that other areas of development will be affected. Your optometrist can provide the first step in detecting developmental vision problems. A board certified developmental optometrist can successfully treat those problems.